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Slide1
Taming the Email Monster: Managing Email… Using SharePoint
Image from www.zemp.com.auSlide2
From YouTube.comSlide3
Firm Portrait
Greene Espel P.L.L.P.Litigation boutique, founded in 199320 attorneys, 1+ IT staff1 office in Minneapolis, MN
iManage
from 2003 to 2012
WorkSite
/
FileSite
8.5 only; no EMM, IRM, etc.
Still on the Verity indexer
1.5M files (~75k per attorney)
1M+ email messages
No
prior SharePoint
environmentSlide4
Agenda
Who am I?How did we end up here?ToolsUser requirements and information gathering, planning and implementationSummaryQ & ASlide5
How did we end up here?Slide6
Current frustrations
Traditional legal DMS: decent at filing ingesting… not good at finding
Rigid top-down filing mechanisms
A
lmost nonexistent bottom-up organizational controlsSlide7
If you talk about “naming conventions” for your DMS, your DMS is failing you.Slide8
Current frustrations (continued)
Client stability/QC; plug-in soupThe .NRL and plug-in siloIndexer upgrade would be expensiveNo noteworthy integration with other systemsNot easy to customize and extendA
la carte model for additional functionality
“Send and File”/email management
Records Management
Workflow
Offline client
Web/Mobile
access (Extranet and web module
functionality and client familiarity issues)
Niche productSlide9
Evolution
evolution of man's
spirit
by
~
ilsung
http://ilsung.deviantart.comSlide10
Evolution: SharePoint DMS
Much more flexible for organizing contentContent liberated from plug-insIntranet (we didn’t have one)
Extranet possibilities (one familiar to clients)
Additional functionality is in-box
Realistic platform for building and integrating applications
Greater
functionality in generalSlide11Slide12Slide13
…but
what about email?Slide14
Wh
y do we put email in the DMS?Slide15
Email frustrations
Findability is horribleNo ideal way to break down the “email folder”Threading not supported
Ad hoc folders are a poor solution
Tagging not supported
Search is marginally helpful
Contacts are converted from objects to inconsistently-formatted text strings
There’s just too much email
!Slide16Slide17
SharePoint OOTB options
Managed Folder journalingEmail enabled doc libraries/lists (send to)“Connect to Outlook”—SharePoint lists in OutlookDrag-and-drop (Microsoft style)Slide18
Managed Folder Journaling
ProsManaged folders appear in Outlook and OWARecords management integration
Uses .MSG format
Cons
Only supported with Exchange
2007 (!)
Designed for a handful of folders
Designed for archiving
Cumbersome to manage
Cannot file attachments separately (using this method)
Marginal
dedupe
functionality : won’t copy the same email twice, but email messages with the same name can either overwrite or append a unique number
No automatic metadata capture (To, From, etc.)
Attaches journal report
Fumble!Slide19
Email-enabled doc libraries and lists
ProsCan “send to SharePoint”“Reply all” for external users can be routed to SharePoint
Cons
Messy
Creates lots of AD/GAL objects; security must be set manually
If email addresses are created automatically, no control over the name
Must specify which lists and libraries are email enabled
Attachments are split out from the email message
Similar “
dedupe
” method to Managed Folder Journaling: can append a unique number to files with the same name
Saved in .EML format (!)
No content type support—no automatic metadata capture (To, From, etc.)
Can get spam; may pose an anti-spam licensing/logistics issue
10 yard loss!Slide20
“Connect to Outlook”
ProsOffline supportConsRead-only for doc libraries
Drag-and-drop will create new thread in Discussion Lists
No automatic metadata capture (no To, From, etc.)
Creates PST on the client
Ineligible receiver!Slide21
Drag-and-drop (kinda)
Drag from Outlook to Desktop to Explorer ViewPros
No plug-ins required
Cons
Horrible
No content type support
Bypasses metadata prompts
No automatic metadata capture (From, To, etc.); files will be in the “checked out” state if additional fields are required
No
dedupe
(must have a unique filename)
Intentional grounding!Slide22
SharePoint OOTB options
Email format
Metadata
capture
Dedupe
Read-only
Managed by
Additional notes
Managed folder
journaling
.MSG (or TNEF)
No
No (but it can
append a unique number)
No
AdminExchange 2007 onlyEmail-enabled doc libraries.EML
No
No (but it can
append a unique number)
No
Admin
Makes a mess in AD; can get spam
Connect to Outlook
N/A
No
No
Yes
(for doc libraries)
User
Offline access; creates PST
Drag-and-drop
.MSG
NoNoNo
User
HorribleSlide23
Third party solutions
Necessary for an email management solution for humans
Why 3
rd
party solutions?
Email management for humansSlide24
Third party solutions
Some specific things to watch out for: Do they target the legal market?How does it manage client/matter lists on the server and client sides? (“My Matters”?)
How does it handle duplicates and invalid characters?
How does it handle metadata capture?
Does it file in place, or move messages?
What kind of search interface does it have?
How does it present the option for attaching SharePoint items?
Is
it presenting an Outlook view, a webpage within Outlook, or something custom
?
Does the client support background filing
?Slide25
Does the client have preview functionality, and how does it work?Does it leverage SharePoint as a backend without changing it or layering functionality over it?Is a migration utility available? How does it work?
How stable is it?What additional functionality does it provide beyond drag-and-drop? (“Send and File,” round-tripping, etc.)Does the vendor blog? Tweet?Where are they located? Do they have a US presence?Do they partner with other implementers?
Third party solutions (cont’d)Slide26
Third party options
Epona EmailFiler/DMSforLegalMacroView Message/DMFHandshake Email Director
Colligo
Email Manager/Contributor
Workshare
Workshare
Point
Sword Excalibur
harmon.ie harmon.ie for SharePoint – Outlook Edition/Outlook Enterprise Edition
Scinaptic
OnePlaceMail
KnowledgeLake
ConnectEverSuite Email Management for OutlookSharePointBoost Outlook Integration 2.0ShareTools.biz ShareBox for SharePointCodePlex SharePoint Outlook ConnectorCodePlex Mail2ShareDynamics CRM?Slide27
Epona DMSforLegal
Why we selected DMSforLegal
Legal focus
Uses native SharePoint functionality (pulls in SP views, etc.)
Outlook search == SharePoint search
Native preview functionality
Background email filing
Similarity to
iManage
—My Matters, Recent Documents, subscription model
Windows Explorer integration (any app)
Migration tool for
iManage
, and
iManage experience
Exposes managed metadata tags in Outlook for filingSlide28
Epona
DMSforLegal: navigationSlide29
Epona
DMSforLegal
: filing paneSlide30
Epona
DMSforLegal
: filing paneSlide31
Epona
DMSforLegal
: filing paneSlide32
Epona
DMSforLegal
: filing paneSlide33
Epona
DMSforLegal
: send and fileSlide34
Epona
DMSforLegal: attachment optionsSlide35
Epona
DMSforLegal: background filingSlide36
Epona
DMSforLegal: Outlook’s perspectiveSlide37
Epona
DMSforLegal: configuration optionsSlide38
Email organization: we hardly knew ye
Assessment: 70% of DMS content is email (and growing)Email increasingly is the medium, the mode, and
the content: “email” can go anywhere, be anything
Traditional approach:
Dump all email in the ‘Email’ folder
Email ends up in other folders as well
Deal with the mess afterwardsSlide39
Filing structure
Determining the “right blend” of:Site collections
Sites
D
oc libraries
Folders
Tags
C
ontent types
S
ite columns
ViewsSlide40
New approaches to old problems
“Allow subfolders!
vs.
No subfolders allowed
!”
Goal:
location selection only—no additional metadata
prompts
Folders
provide one-click
targets
Managed metadata tags do too, and also allow multi-value
Future enhancement: threaded email view?Slide41
Filing Structure Process
Small group of users at firstDesign SharePoint- and firm-optimized structure first, worry about migration later
Create
iManage
to SharePoint
decoder wheel
Don’t
get paralyzed by the process—it won’t be
perfect
Beware
of designing for the
exception
Spend time to “
refile” a sample matter to demonstrate the new organizational modelSlide42Slide43
Specific considerations
Email vs. non-email content types and mixing them within the same doc library: the “email might go anywhere” problemMaking site column names generic enough for reuse for a better search experience
Links to DMS documents:
Links can be anywhere in an email, and can be given context
No more sea of attachments
No attachment icon (as with NRLs
)Slide44
Other considerations
SharePoint as a platform: reduce email traffic and increase efficiency by leveraging other SharePoint featuresOutlook vs. browser access: cater to Outlook’s limitations or break free from the “attorneys [must] live in Outlook” mantra?Other third party plug-ins
BLOB externalization (
StoragePoint
)
Browser previewer (BA Insight Longitude Search)
Cross platform (and mobile) access
Scanning solutions not matureSlide45
Summary/Lessons learned
Once-per-decade chance to revisit fundamental doc organization and processesDon’t re-implement existing DMS limitationsUnderstand thoroughly SharePoint’s many mechanisms for content organization
Take plenty of time
Involve
many over time and iterate
Don’t worry if your lines are straightSlide46
Contact info
Ryan HelmerGreene Espel P.L.L.P.Email: rhelmer@greeneespel.comDirect: 612.373.8351