ICC Says Governance is Key to Success When it Comes to Collaboration Technology

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- CIOs and IT professionals know that collaboration technology is of great value, but only when it's used correctly. Lack of controls leads to sprawl and low adoption. The end result? Businesses are unable to achieve value from what can be a significant investment in this technology. What makes for a great SharePoint installation and experience is proper planning, thorough business requirements, processes and procedures followed by all users. In fact, when it comes to any business endeavor, governance is what gives structure to the effort and contributes greatly to its success or failure, says business and IT solutions company ICC. Governance is the topic of a new white paper by ICC available at ICC's website and it will also be among the topics discussed at the upcoming Heartland SharePoint Conference presented by ICC on Thursday, May 15 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Columbus, OH Convention Center. Interested business and IT professionals are encouraged to register at the Conference Website.

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"Governance can be one of those words that make people cringe. It has an air of foreboding and limitation associated with it that, frankly, just doesn't sound like fun," says Michael McNett, National Business Strategist at ICC. "Without it, however, there is chaos. That is why we self-organize into groups and societies that are governed by rules and guidelines that most of us agree are necessary, functional and lead to the best outcome for the majority. The same philosophy applies to collaboration technologies like SharePoint."

McNett says users may struggle with understanding boundaries, like who can create a new SharePoint instance or what documents may be housed on the server. This can lead to limited or chaotic adoption.

"Many organizations take the traditional IT approach, believing that they can simply put SharePoint into place and just let users figure things out," says McNett. "This works because the technology is just so intuitive. But this perceived simplicity is exactly why governance must be addressed."

That is why ICC employs dynamic governance and user adoption planning as part of its Seven Point SharePoint Adoption Roadmap. McNett says that governance is not a set-it-and-forget-it set of rules and guidelines. Good governance takes into account changing business realities and adapts. For example, elevating the priority of a business goal may mean that certain SharePoint governance practices should change as well.

"It's extremely important to link the organization's governance plan back to the business goals and priorities," says McNett. "Senior executives need to be involved, communicating changing business goals, priorities, and major initiatives. This involvement ensures the governance plan is driven by the business rather than technology."

Want to Learn More?

• Download our new white paper on How to Increase Your ROI by Linking Governance and User Adoption Plans to Business Goals: http://bit.ly/1mhIHHu
• Register for the upcoming Heartland SharePoint Conference at the Columbus Convention Center on May 15: http://bit.ly/1qVVOyT

About ICC
ICC (Information Control Company), based in Columbus, Ohio, is a leading provider of enterprise technology solutions. With a staff over 500 highly trained consultants, we are experts in Strategy, User Experience, Visual Design, Engineering, Project Management, Business Analytics and Quality Assurance. Using these skills, we develop and deploy innovative, business-critical solutions that enable Fortune 500 and mid-market organizations to improve operational efficiencies. Our Business, Digital and Technology solutions give our clients a competitive advantage that helps them drive revenues and increase margin.

Farsite, the advanced analytics division of ICC, specializes in helping companies use Big Data and predictive analytics to empower smart business decisions, solve their toughest challenges and gain a distinctive competitive advantage. For more information visit www.FarsiteGroup.com.

Clutch is a world-class digital ad agency inside the walls of ICC. Together, they're a collection of seasoned strategists, user experience specialists, writers, art directors and developers who specialize in the art and science of interactive conversations. 

ICC is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and an IBM Premier Business Partner. ICC is committed to serving its clients, community and country by developing U.S.-based leaders who work hard to strengthen the American economy. More information is available at http://www.icctechnology.com.

Media Contacts:

Theresa Hodgson
ICC
[email protected] 
614-523-3070 x106
http://www.icctechnology.com/ 

Rich Mullikin
Communication Strategy Group for ICC
[email protected] 
866-997-2424
www.communicationstrategygroup.com 

SOURCE Information Control Company