Latest Maturity Model for Microsoft 365 topics

Backup and archive: understanding the differences Backup and archive serve distinct purposes, although many confuse them for the same thing. Backup refers to warm storage, focusing on active content and ensuring easy access to recover data if a problem arises. On the other hand, archiving is akin to cold storage, dealing with inactive content that isn’t regularly used. Syncing data does not serve as a backup or archive; it merely keeps two copies of the same data synchronized, without providing the backup or archived version.

Crafting a compelling home page on SharePoint is an art and a science, requiring a delicate balance of strategic planning and creative execution. At the heart of it all lies the principle of consistency. Whether the page serves as an intranet hub or a team site, users should encounter a familiar layout and navigation that guides them to their desired content. Rules of thumb Beyond consistency, we recommend placing crucial content in the top left corner. This ensures visibility without requiring excessive scrolling, a nod to the traditional concept of the “fold” borrowed from newspaper design. However, the visual appeal is equally important; the use of color, imagery, and layout can provide powerful cues that guide users through the page and draw their attention to key information.

Within your organization, effective management of the Microsoft 365 site lifecycle is critical. First, you must recognize that not all sites hold equal significance in terms of their lifecycle. While certain sites, such as HR intranet sites, may exist indefinitely, other components, like document libraries or collaboration sites, need lifecycle oversight. With no lifecycle organization, companies often face the issue of sprawl. Understanding site lifecycle Regarding the Maturity Model and site lifecycle, organizations at the 100 level have a ton of sites, many are inactive, and they don’t know how to deal with them. At level 200 you see some manual management, but it’s irregular. Level 300 you might have a clear site request, provisioning, and retirement process. Level 400 brings automated rules and policies to manage the site portfolio. Level 500 likely has an AI or rules-based analysis that’s watching the site portfolio and providing suggestions.

Feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of migration? Don’t worry, this session of Ask Sympraxis is here to assist you! Our discussion covered various aspects, ranging from the definition of migration all the way to potential speed bumps. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the key takeaways: Understanding migration Migration, simply put, involves moving content from one place to another. This process takes different forms, such as organizational mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations, and transitioning to the cloud. However, keep in mind migration is not merely about relocating files; it gives you an opportunity to enhance and improve existing structures.

At its core, a template serves as a blueprint, allowing repeatability, consistency, and encapsulating institutional knowledge. For more detailed information and an overview of templates in general, please visit our prior Ask Sympraxis session. Maturity Model approach As we love to often reference, templates can also be viewed in relation to the Maturity Model. Starting at level 100, templates are completely absent, and everything is configured manually on the fly. The Microsoft provided templates occupy the 200 level. Templates can go all the way to the 500 level, where an automated custom approach to template management is applied.

This Ask Sympraxis session focuses on what we are most thankful for, and that’s community-driven initiatives! These diverse and valuable resources within the Microsoft 365 community are aimed at improving user experiences and optimizing organizational workflows. Microsoft 365 Community Content The Microsoft 365 Community Content project is an open platform where anyone can contribute. It emphasizes practical content designed to help users comprehend and effectively utilize Microsoft 365 tools. Ranging from fundamental guides to advanced articles combining multiple products, the project is a collaborative effort that continues to evolve.

The Microsoft 365 conference took place Spring of 2023 and introduced the community to a lot of updates road mapped for the platform. Continue for Sympraxis’ take on many of these changes! Copilot Microsoft Copilot is going to be rolling out slowly and is a new artificial intelligence software. Although there is a lot of excitement about this introduction, we need to mention that it’ll likely be a service you’ll have to pay for and the cost is yet to be announced.

Business use case: Benefits documents Join the Ask Sympraxis team for this session focusing on building sustainable information architecture (IA) through the use case of benefit documents management in your Microsoft 365 environment. From backend management of the content owners, to easy front-end consumption in your intranet, we walk through many of the challenges that are unique to benefits documents.

This session of Ask Sympraxis focuses on different methods and steps you can take to empower users while you build your intranet and how to set up Microsoft 365. Not every suggestion will be pertinent to your organization, which is why we suggest starting with the Maturity Model and determining your current and desired levels! This session is also a great reference to come back to as your organization levels up in maturity.