How to Transform SharePoint
into a Fully Functional
Content Management System
How to Transform SharePoint into a Fully Functional Content Management System
Many organizations rely on enterprise content management (ECM) systems like OpenText and Documentum to manage critical business documents. However, these traditional ECM platforms often come with high costs, complex implementations, and limited integration capabilities. As businesses transition to Microsoft 365, they need a scalable, cost-effective solution that integrates seamlessly with their existing workflows.
The solution? SharePoint. With the right configurations and integrations, SharePoint can function as a fully-fledged ECM system, providing governance, compliance, automation, and AI-powered content management. The following article explores how organizations can leverage SharePoint to replace traditional ECM platforms while improving efficiency and reducing costs.
Why Choose SharePoint as Your ECM Solution?
Organizations looking to modernize their document management strategy should consider SharePoint for its:
- Scalability: SharePoint can manage millions of documents and scale with your organization’s growth.
- Compliance & Security: Advanced retention policies, access controls, and audit trails ensure regulatory compliance.
- Intelligent Search & AI Capabilities: AI-powered content discovery and automated metadata tagging improve findability.
- Workflow Automation: Native integration with Power Automate streamlines document approvals and lifecycle processes.
- Cost Efficiency: Reduce ECM costs by leveraging existing Microsoft 365 licenses instead of investing in third-party platforms.
Essential Capabilities for Transforming SharePoint into an ECM System
To make SharePoint work like an enterprise-grade ECM system, businesses must leverage the following Microsoft 365 tools and features:
- Automatically Classify and Tag Documents Using AI-Powered OCR
Manual tagging and indexing are inefficient. SharePoint, integrated with AI and Optical Character Recognition (OCR), can automate document classification:
Microsoft Syntex AI extracts text from scanned documents and PDFs, making them searchable and structured.
Azure Cognitive Services OCR converts images and non-editable files into readable, indexed content.
Automated metadata tagging applies intelligent labels, reducing manual effort and improving search accuracy.
Example: A financial institution processes thousands of scanned invoices. With Syntex AI, invoices are automatically categorized by vendor, date, and payment status—eliminating manual data entry.
- Build a Structured Document Foundation with Metadata & Content Types
Traditional file structures can be cumbersome. SharePoint provides a metadata-driven approach:
Use Content Types to standardize document templates with predefined metadata fields.
Leverage Managed Metadata Services to maintain consistent taxonomy and classification.
Utilize Document Sets to group related files under a single metadata-driven structure.
Example: A legal department manages contracts by client, contract type, and expiration date. SharePoint’s metadata and content types allow users to retrieve relevant contracts instantly, instead of navigating complex folder hierarchies.
- Enforce Compliance with Retention Policies & Audit Controls
Regulatory compliance is a top priority for ECM solutions. SharePoint provides:
Version history tracking to maintain full auditability.
Retention labels and legal holds through Microsoft Purview to prevent unauthorized deletion.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies to protect sensitive information from leaks.
eDiscovery and audit trails for legal and compliance readiness.
Example: A healthcare provider ensures HIPAA compliance by using retention labels to automatically archive patient records after seven years.
- Automate Document Workflows and Approvals
Manual document routing is slow and error-prone. SharePoint integrates with:
Power Automate to streamline approvals, notifications, and document lifecycle workflows.
Power Apps for creating custom document submission portals.
AI Builder to extract and validate key information before documents enter business processes.
Example: A manufacturing company automates purchase order approvals using Power Automate, reducing processing time from days to hours.
- Enhance Search & Discovery with AI and Metadata Filtering
Legacy ECM platforms offer sophisticated search—SharePoint does too:
Microsoft Search & Cognitive Services deliver AI-powered search results.
Search Refiners & Custom Filters help users find documents faster.
Syntex AI (Content AI) auto-classifies documents, improving findability and governance.
Example: A marketing team quickly retrieves campaign assets by searching “Q3 social media ads” using metadata-driven filters.
- Enable Seamless Collaboration with Microsoft Teams & OneDrive
Unlike traditional ECMs, SharePoint fosters collaboration by integrating with:
Microsoft Teams for instant document sharing and discussions.
OneDrive for secure, cloud-based document access from anywhere.
Co-Authoring in Microsoft 365 Apps for real-time document editing.
Example: A project team collaborates on a proposal in real time, eliminating the need for multiple email attachments and conflicting versions.
- Integrate SharePoint with Business Systems
For companies using ERP, CRM, or legacy ECM solutions, SharePoint provides:
Power Automate & Power Platform for API-based connectivity.
Azure Logic Apps to automate multi-system workflows.
Graph API to facilitate structured data synchronization.
Example: A customer support team syncs service tickets from Dynamics 365 with SharePoint, ensuring all case documents are stored in a single repository.
Best Practices for Implementing SharePoint as an ECM System
- Plan a Strong Information Architecture: Conduct a content audit and define metadata before migration.
- Develop a Governance Framework: Establish policies for document lifecycle, security, and user access.
- Train Users for Effective Adoption: Provide hands-on training on metadata, search, and workflows.
- Monitor & Optimize Compliance: Use Microsoft Purview to track security and retention policies.
- Ensure Backup & Disaster Recovery: Implement Azure backup solutions to protect against data loss.
Conclusion: Modernize Your ECM with SharePoint
Traditional ECM solutions are expensive and complex, often limiting collaboration and automation. By leveraging SharePoint’s AI, metadata-driven architecture, and seamless Microsoft 365 integration, businesses can create a modern ECM that enhances compliance, searchability, and workflow automation.
At Vigilant, we help organizations transform SharePoint into a powerful ECM system tailored to their needs. Schedule a free consultation today to discover how we can optimize your document management strategy.
Don’t let outdated ECM systems slow you down—modernize with SharePoint today!
Don’t let outdated ECM systems slow you down—modernize with SharePoint today!
Traditional ECM solutions are expensive and complex, often limiting collaboration and automation. By leveraging SharePoint’s AI, metadata-driven architecture, and seamless Microsoft 365 integration, businesses can create a modern ECM that enhances compliance, searchability, and workflow automation. At Vigilant, we help organizations transform SharePoint into a powerful ECM system tailored to their needs. Schedule a free consultation today to discover how we can optimize your document management strategy.
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