Collabware
Records Management Made Simple

The information management landscape within enterprises today organically grows to include network file storage and a variety of third-party tools, but often misses out on the formal collaboration between and across departments. While there may be some compliance in terms of archiving and storing the records in identified folders, heavy reliance on network file storage often ends up frustrating users with time-consuming retrieval, multiple versions of the same document living in different places, and more often than not, needing to consult with others to identify important records. SharePoint efficiently solves this problem by offering a platform that allows people, teams and experts to connect and collaborate. However, records management issues in SharePoint—including effective content identification and classification—is still a concern.

Collabware wants to change this. With an intelligent content management software for SharePoint, Collabware enhances information and records management, while improving the way people communicate, collaborate and consume information. Collabware CLM is a records management add-on designed to provide additional ECM capabilities and bring robust information governance to SharePoint. Collabware CLM enables organizations to meet their records management objectives and encourage user adoption of SharePoint— an exciting outcome.

"The reason we come to work every day is to make enterprise software less horrifying for people that rely on it"

With over 15 years of experience and proven success in information management, SharePoint architecture and user experience design, Graham Sibley, CEO of Collabware established the company with the goal of transforming the enterprise content management landscape through new ideas and approaches. Today, Collabware provides intelligent information management and team collaboration software that protects high-value information, makes teams more productive, and helps organizations rapidly locate the information they need to make better decisions. “Our goal is to provide enterprise users with a simplified ECM experience by ensuring that they can easily work with their information without having to constantly switch applications,” says Sibley.

Collabware is one of the only fully featured, configurable records management products available for SharePoint. Given that employees use the SharePoint sites they are already comfortable with, Collabware gives records managers a clear place to begin the archival and retrieval processes, while keeping the end-user experience productive.

Our goal as an organization is to provide enterprise users with a simplified ECM experience by ensuring that they can easily work with their information without having to constantly switch applications

It essentially works behind the scenes to capture records automatically, so that end-users are not burdened with records management duties. In terms of compliance, records managers can run reports right from Collabware CLM to see which departments need extra attention. The software ensures compliance and provides the capability for records managers to confirm that content is properly entered into the system.

Complete Lifecycle Management

With Collabware CLM, organizations can boost user productivity by automatically organizing their content and visual lifecycle workflow alongside narrative integrated case management. The platform helps organizations to manage all their case content as a unit, make it accessible, define the rules and metadata that needs to be enforced with each case type and allow authorized users to provision case instance. No matter how complex an organization's lifecycle workflow is, Collabware CLM lets users easily create visually enhanced workflows that can handle complex content behavior in user driven events. Using the SharePoint integrated visual workflow design surface, users can embed powerful roles and actions to control the behavior of the content. What's more, with Collabware's global content query system, firms can perform advanced precision metadata queries and then group, sort and filter the results using a familiar grid view. Collabware CLM can also queue and review bulk sets of content as part of any business processes. Users can directly participate in the review process within SharePoint, without dropping massive emails for each item up for review.

Using Collabware CLM's integrated case management, workflow, search, and records management capabilities, organizations can easily automate business processes and have peace of mind knowing that regulatory and legal compliance requirements are being met. The platform assists organizations by protecting critical content and enabling rapid, improved decision making through its advanced electronic records management capabilities designed to facilitate the automated classification, retention, and eventual disposition of content and cases. Users can centrally configure the rules and enforce them globally across SharePoint. The system also allows users to manage their complete records inventory and centrally administer their records storage and support open or request-based circulation processes.

Collabware CLM provides an aggregates system for managing case templates and case instances. This system enables users to define and enforce the case governance rules, and drive increased user productivity by making content easier to find and work with. In an instance, Avocette—IT products and services organization were already appraised about how Microsoft SharePoint Server platform provided an excellent foundation for enterprise content management, however they still required a high degree of configuration and customization to implement an end-user ready solution. They started working closely with Collabware CLM for SharePoint and implemented a suite of features that build on the SharePoint platform, enabling rapid implementation of end-user ready content life cycle management and records management solutions. Avocette has since been enhancing their productivity and seeing increased ROI.

Collabmail

Collabware has also introduced Collabmail, a new product focused on integrating Outlook and SharePoint for simplified ECM. Collabmail provides easy to use drag and drop functionality for filing emails and attachments within SharePoint and for attaching SharePoint content to outbound emails.

Collabmail is an Outlook add-in that seamlessly integrates SharePoint into the desktop experience by providing users with the ability to navigate SharePoint sites and libraries, without leaving Outlook in order to retrieve or file new content. When filing new content, Collabmail adheres to ECM compliance requirements by prompting users to provide required metadata, which is a feature unavailable in standard Outlook. “We need to ensure that enterprise records management compliance is being achieved. Collabmail helps organizations achieve both these outcomes,” says Sibley.

Building Efficiency for the Future

Collabware has adopted the mantra of open-minded and collaborative culture, through which the employees stay motivated to achieve great heights not only for themselves but also for the company. “The reason we come to work every day is to make enterprise software less horrifying for people that rely on it. No small feat, but we love the challenge and it keeps us busy!” says Sibley. “We decided to create software that would allow teams to effectively collaborate in a simple, stress-free way that is actually a joy to use. By championing user-friendly software for our clients, they can spend more time on activities that they love.”

Sibley and his team of experts are passionate about customer success as they find their own success in it— through collaboration and positive results. The Collabware team is zealous about technology, disrupting the world of enterprise software and making pioneering and ground-breaking solutions and products. The company’s values revolves around thinking big, making their goals happen and being excited in a fast paced environment while churning out exceptional products and solutions. “At Collabware, we understand and appreciate that you have a life outside of work which is why we have no set schedules—we measure results,” concludes Sibley.