The amount of data and documents is also growing rapidly in the construction industry. Drawings, contracts, e-mails and reports are stored in SharePoint, Teams or local folders. That seems convenient, but the question is: how do you keep a grip on it and manage that flow in a well-organized way? In this session Arie Sterrenburg with answers.
Sterrenburg is managing director of DigiOffice | IDB Group. 'One of the biggest challenges in the construction industry is keeping a grip on the growing amount of documents and data,' he says. 'But sacrificing flexibility or collaboration is not an option. Using a smart storage strategy manages to transform document management from an operational issue into a strategic advantage.'
Efficiency
With more than 30 years of experience in IT, digitization and process optimization for the construction, infrastructure and real estate sectors, among others, Sterrenburg knows very well what he is talking about. 'Research shows that people spend an average of 1.8 hours a day searching for documents,' he says. ' So good document management is hugely important. Time is money, which is why we all strive for efficiency. How do you combine freedom of choice with control, without costs getting out of hand? The solution lies in automation and control: ensuring that documents are always stored in the right place, with the right rights and retention periods. Technology is indispensable in the transition to digitization and smarter working within construction organizations. IT managers have a lot to deal with; they have to consider ease of use, overview, security, regulations and costs. If you choose DigiOffice for document management and storage then you can be sure that all that is well taken care of.'
Construction Project
When a construction project is over, an IT department is often tasked with archiving the entire file and everything around it. 'But storing everything integrally is not a solution,' says Sterrenburg. 'That is expensive and also unnecessary. Some of the documents should be kept, but most of it can go. Sorting everything out afterwards is a huge job, so the trick is to assign meta-information to documents in advance. Those attributes ensure that after a process is complete, certain data is automatically saved, and others are discarded. Everything that is kept should be safely stored and easily retrievable.'
Connecting layer
DigiOffice is the connecting layer between Microsoft 365 and business applications. The software moves documents based on status changes, such as a new project phase, according to metadata and preset storage rules. Active documents are thus available for ongoing projects, while closed files are automatically stored in cheaper and secure archive layers. This keeps the active environment orderly and static documents and information permanently and securely stored. This ensures continuity: employees can continue working as usual, while behind the scenes DigiOffice ensures logical, secure and cost-efficient information management.
Two storage platforms and onpremises
DigiOffice uses two storage platforms: SharePoint Online and Azure Blob Storage. 'SharePoint is ideal for storing active documents and thus for collaboration,' explains Sterrenburg. 'It is less suitable for huge amounts of unstructured data. Azure Blob Storage, on the other hand, is inexpensive and scalable, so it is well suited for storing static documents and archives. A strategy once set up can always be adjusted over time. It is often difficult to determine the strategy in advance and all at once, for all situations. This is almost impossible to do with a technical structure like SharePoint Online. With our solution, it can be revised simply by making a change in the rules. We support that as well.
'Geopolitical developments have got us and many other organizations thinking,' Sterrenburg said. 'That's why we offer companies that want to have complete control over data, DigiOffice also onpremises, including onpremises data storage.'
Control and overview
'In short,' Sterrenburg summarizes, 'on the one hand automation strengthens the strategic control of document management and on the other hand flexible storage choices contribute, among other things, to lower IT costs. For whom is my lecture interesting? Especially for IT managers and information managers, because they have a big role with a lot of responsibility in this story. For the IT department, working with DigiOffice means less ballast and more control because the storage process is automatic. The time this saves can be spent on innovation and strategic optimization, for example. For information managers, overview, policy and compliance with rules is important. With this software, retention periods are automatically enforced. Documents are destroyed or archived and security is arranged through Entra ID. When everything is in order and running smoothly, it brings peace of mind. So no more stress for audits, but overview and control.'
Want to know more or this topic? Visit DigiBouw! On Wednesday 19 & Thursday 20 November, Arie Sterrenburg (DigiOffice | IDB Group) will give sessions: Grip on flexible storage - strategic direction on document management and IT management. The sessions are advanced from the entry level and belong to the plan phase, implementation phase and the operation phase within the chain. View the program and order your ticket here.
