Think about all of the content that you currently have housed in Microsoft 365. Now think about how much of this content is a working draft, a duplication, outdated or no longer relevant. How much is sensitive and/or targeted to a specific audience?
A well-defined M365 content management strategy is essential to ensure users can efficiently find and interact with accurate, relevant, and up-to-date information. In addition to users finding your content via standard navigation, we must also keep in mind that ALL content a user can access is also used to generate Microsoft Search and Copilot results.
Why a Strategy is Needed:
- Search and Copilot Accuracy: These tools index all accessible content, including outdated or redundant files, which can clutter results and lead to confusion or misinformation.
- Content Sprawl: Without governance, environments can quickly become cluttered with unstructured or duplicated content.
- User Trust: Inconsistent or outdated content undermines user confidence in the platform.
- Security: Ensure content is only accessible to appropriate audiences.
Plan Your Strategy:
- Identify Who is Responsible for Content: Make sure everyone understands who is responsible for what content. This may not necessarily be the team or site owner. Backup content owners should be identified in case the primary contact is not available.
- Understand Permissions: Make sure you are aware of the permissions set for your content! Know that anyone who has access to the content can find any published content via search/copilot results, even if links have not yet been posted. The only way to truly secure content is through permissions settings.
- Develop Naming Standards: Implementing consistent naming standards for documents, pages, etc. can improve searchability and reduce confusion. For sites used to communicate finalized content (ie: Intranet sites), avoiding naming conventions that include versioning, dates, etc. is recommended and may also help prevent outdated content in these spaces.
- Draft and Archive Management: Designate specific spaces, such as working Teams, private team channels, or separate document libraries for drafts and archived content. Only publish reviewed and approved content to communication/intranet sites.
- Schedule Regular Reviews: Scheduling regular reviews for both permissions and content accuracy is necessary to keep your content secure and relevant.