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 thirty years of experience in IT, digitization, and process optimization for sectors including construction, infrastructure, and real estate, Sterrenburg knows exactly what he’s talking about. “Research shows that people spend an average of 1.8 hours a day searching for documents,” he says. “Good document management is therefore extremely important. Time is money, and that’s why we all strive for efficiency. How do you balance freedom of choice with control without letting costs spiral out of control? The solution lies in automation and oversight: ensuring that documents are always stored in the right place, with the correct access rights and retention periods. Technology is indispensable in the transition to digitization and smarter ways of working within construction organizations. IT managers have a lot on their plates; they must take into account ease of use, overview, security, regulations, and costs. If you choose DigiOffice for document management and storage, you can be sure that all of these aspects are well taken care of.”
Construction Project
Once a construction project is completed, the IT department is often tasked with archiving the entire file and everything related to it. “But storing everything in its entirety isn’t a solution,” says Sterrenburg. “It’s expensive and, moreover, unnecessary. Some of the documents need to be retained, but most can be discarded. Sorting through everything afterward is a massive task, so the trick is to add metadata to documents up front. These tags ensure that, once a project is complete, certain data is automatically saved, and other data is discarded. Everything that is retained must be stored securely and be easy to retrieve.”
as the Connecting Layer
DigiOffice serves as 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 predefined storage rules. This ensures that active documents are available for ongoing projects, while closed files are automatically stored in more cost-effective and secure archive layers. This keeps the active environment organized and ensures that static documents and information are preserved securely and sustainably. This ensures business continuity: employees can continue working as usual, while DigiOffice handles logical, secure, and cost-efficient information management behind the scenes.
Two storage platforms and on-premises
DigiOffice uses two storage platforms: SharePoint Online and Azure Blob Storage. “SharePoint is ideal for storing active documents and, therefore, for collaboration,” explains Sterrenburg. “It’s less suitable for massive amounts of unstructured data. Azure Blob Storage, on the other hand, is cost-effective and scalable, making it well-suited for storing static documents and archives. Once a strategy is in place, it can always be adjusted over time. It’s often difficult to determine the strategy in advance and all at once, for every possible scenario. With a technical structure like SharePoint Online, that’s nearly impossible. With our solution, it’s easy to revise the strategy simply by making a change to the rules. We also provide support for that.”
“Geopolitical developments have given us—and many other organizations—cause for reflection,” says Sterrenburg. “That’s why we also offer DigiOffice on-premises to companies that want to maintain complete control over their data, including on-premises data storage.”
Control and Overview
“In short,” Sterrenburg summarizes, “on the one hand, automation strengthens strategic control over document management, and on the other hand, flexible storage options contribute, among other things, to lower IT costs.” Who might find my presentation interesting? Primarily IT managers and information managers, as they play a major role in this context and bear significant responsibility. For the IT department, working with DigiOffice means less overhead and more control because the storage process is automated. The time saved can be spent, for example, on innovation and strategic optimization. For information managers, oversight, policy, and compliance are key. With this software, retention periods are automatically enforced. Documents are destroyed or archived, and security is managed through Entra ID. When everything is neatly organized and running smoothly, it brings peace of mind. So no more stress about audits—just clarity 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.
