The modern workplace has evolved into a complex ecosystem of invaluable apps, essential productivity tools and vital collaboration platforms. Bringing these various business tools into an integrated digital ecosystem is the key to optimising IT investments and boosting efficiency, collaboration and compliance.
This is according to Thys Fourie, COO at integrated ICT solutions provider Exponant, who says many organisations invest in solutions like Microsoft 365 licences without deriving full value from them. However, by optimising and integrating tools like Microsoft 365, SharePoint and Teams with additional layers of technology, organisations can maximise their investments, empower productivity, secure collaboration and boost business resilience.
Exponant helps clients optimise their existing licences and integrate with additional tools and workflows, as well as advising clients on the best subscription models to ensure compliance and functionality, especially for organisations with complex regulatory requirements.
Fourie says: “Solutions like Microsoft 365 are evolving and adding features all the time. However, not every organisation knows what features are included in the various licences, and not all of them purchase the right licences for their needs. We work with what they have, optimising the out-of-the-box functionality, and then complementing it with additional products to better meet their needs.”
SharePoint has evolved beyond document storage into a central collaboration hub, widely used by local enterprises, he says. Integrations with Power BI, Teams and workflow automation enhance its value and support enterprise agility.
“For example, no company can function without an e-signature solution, so we embed one within SharePoint to streamline authorisations. We may also integrate it with a record centre, so that all signed documents are managed and retained in a compliant manner.”
For one client, a law firm, Exponant has integrated SharePoint with an e-signature solution, and document and records management to secure and govern its over 5 million sensitive documents. This simplifies the document management and ensures compliance, as well as saving the client time and effort.
Exponant is also a supplier of harmon.ie – a unified platform to integrate Outlook with SharePoint and Teams, allowing users to manage e-mails and documents from a single interface. Says Fourie: “With this, if you want to save a mail as a record, you can simply drag and drop into formal structures. In most industries – particularly highly regulated ones – there is a great deal of information in e-mail that should be part of the formal record structure, so most companies need these plugins.”
Exponant also builds dashboards and reporting tools on top of SharePoint data to provide actionable insights, and is beginning to leverage AI capabilities such as Copilot, and custom Python scripts, to enhance data analysis and automate information retrieval.
“Exponant enables organisations to re-imagine how people, data and technology connect in the modern workplace. By adding business value to existing investments, we are helping organisations to improve processes and become more efficient,” he says.
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