Client Story:
Navigating a secure route to AI readiness
The American College of Radiology (ACR) embarked on a transformational journey to optimize its document retention and collaboration systems, ensuring a seamless and secure content management environment that would ready the organization for the introduction of AI tools including M365 Copilot. Ideal State was engaged by ACR’s Information Risk Management (IRM) department to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy using Microsoft Purview and M365 tools.
Uncovering Challenges
During the initial discovery phase, Ideal State identified several challenges within ACR's existing content management framework. The Covid-era adoption of M365 as a remote work tool had led to widespread use of personal OneDrive storage over more governable SharePoint sites. Additionally, much of the staff-managed content was still stored on network drives, limiting the organization’s ability to fully leverage modern content management and collaboration tools.
Charting a Path
The project aimed to:
- Understand the current state of data and develop policies for data loss prevention and retention.
- Pilot Microsoft Purview information protection and data loss protection (DLP) tools, such as sensitivity labels and auto-detection of sensitive information types, with end users to ensure feasibility and effectiveness.
- Create a detailed implementation plan for organization-wide adoption and ongoing maintenance of Microsoft Purview and standardized use of Teams for collaboration and .
Back to Basics with Microsoft 365
Ideal State recommended cleaning up the current Microsoft 365 environment to reduce content management complexity. Key actions included reviewing and culling unused SharePoint sites, moving collaboration from OneDrive to Teams or SharePoint, reducing the number and complexity of existing teams and channels while introducing team naming conventions, and creating guidelines for consistent file storage, labeling, and organization.
Migrating from Legacy Drives
Ideal State proposed a structured approach to migrating staff-managed content in outdated file shares to Microsoft 365, facilitating better content management and collaboration. The plan included:
- Identifying pilot departments with immediate needs for Purview retention labels.
- Designating migration support staff with necessary administrative access.
- Selecting an appropriate migration tool and process
The step-by-step migration process ensured minimal disruption, with detailed pre-migration consultations and post-migration user training and follow-up to address any issues and provide additional support.
Governance and Configuration
Ideal State outlined optimal settings for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams to enhance content management and collaboration. Key actions included:
- Implementing permissions structures and dynamic membership for streamlined management.
- Setting policies for site creation and external sharing to prevent content sprawl.
- Establishing guidelines for team and channel creation to support efficient communication and curb sprawl and redundancy.
Outcomes
The collaboration between ACR and Ideal State is resulting in a streamlined Microsoft 365 environment, ready to support advanced tools like Microsoft Purview and M365 Copilot. The pilot departments successfully transitioned to new content management practices, setting the stage for a broader organizational rollout to be led by ACR's compliance and IT staff.
Conclusion
Ideal State’s comprehensive approach to understanding and addressing ACR’s content management challenges has blazed a trail for successful org-wide implementation of Microsoft Purview. This effort will not only improve document retention and collaboration but is also positioning ACR to fully leverage Microsoft 365’s capabilities, driving efficiency and security across the organization.
“Ideal State's approach to optimizing Teams and SharePoint, combined with their guidance on aligning Purview capabilities to our policies and user needs, is positioning us to take full advantage of AI-driven tools in the near future.”
