1. 1© Copyright MindPoint Ltd 2014
CASE STUDY
SHAREPOINT CONSULTANCY
PROJECT FOR JISC - A LEADING
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY CHARITY
Case study on how MindPoint helped Jisc with their SharePoint Online solution
and ensured maximum functionality and scalability

2. © Copyright MindPoint Ltd 20142 3© Copyright MindPoint Ltd 2014
JISC: A LEADING CHARITY &
CHAMPION FOR THE USE OF
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN UK
EDUCATION & RESEARCH.
Jisc is based in the UK and they act as a centre
of expertise for digital technologies for the
research and education sectors. They run
‘Janet’ (the UK’s high speed research and education network)
and ‘Eduroam’ (a shared authentication mechanism that
allows students to log in and use resources right across the
education sector.
After moving to Office 365 for their Exchange email, Jisc
purchased SharePoint Online. As digital experts, Jisc
immediately recognised the benefits of seeking sought out a
professional SharePoint partner. Jisc knew that they needed
expert help and consultancy to build a document
management system that would enable them to wean their
users off traditional file shares and third party synchronisation
products.
With more than thirty years of combined SharePoint and business knowledge (much of it in the
education and public sectors) MindPoint was in a unique position to provide a solution that would
fit Jisc’s exacting requirements.
Building upon Office 365, SharePoint Online
can offer challenges since the product s in
a constant state of flux with specifications
changing all of the time. There’s also re-
duced functionality in some areas of SPO
when compared to the in-house versions of
SharePoint.
MindPoint proposed a solution for Jisc
based around the built-in records
management functionality and OneDrive
for Business on the E3 plan available at
the time. Jisc staff can now create and edit
documents using either the web based
Office 365 interface or the OneDrive for Business client on their local device (such as a laptop or
tablet). They can then later categorise these documents in the Office 365 website. This allows
“Expert help & consultancy to build a document &
records management system.”
The Situation
Jisc is the UK expert on
digital technologies for
education and research. It was
formed as a registered charity
in December 2012 but since
1993 it has been providing
vision and leadership to
universities and colleges to
help stimulate innovation and
research into technology.
Jisc has staff distributed
throughout the UK with offices
in Bristol, Harwell and
Manchester.
Overview
There was a large number of existing
files that had been moved across to
Office 365 in a large file structure. This corpus of files
was extremely important to Jisc.
The existing plan was to create a document repository
that would allow for tighter management of information without being over restrictive when
collaborating with external partners. However, although Jisc had grown organically since they
became a legal entity in 2012, it wanted one single information strategy and felt that some expert
guidance would be essential when it came to building a SharePoint Online (SPO) solution.
It was important to Jisc that the solution be scalable, manageable and that it delivered a large
amount of flexibility for their staff since there was/is a broad spectrum of in-house technology
skills. They also wanted to minimise administration for their users. Jisc didn’t want, for example,
users having to decide if a document was a record or not (or even how long it should be kept for).
Because Jisc is still in the process of adding new structures and departments as they merge with
partner groups; the system had to be based on functions within the organisation and not tied to
organisational structure (since this allows for future development).
The Solution
“Allowing Jisc staff to just get on with their jobs.”

3. © Copyright MindPoint Ltd 20144 5© Copyright MindPoint Ltd 2014
documents to be declared as records or have retention policies applied. Staff no longer need to
make decisions on retention length or decide if a document is a record or not since the rules for
each document type has been worked out in advance and it is now centrally managed. This has
allowed staff to just get on with their jobs and not waste time on file management.
Once documents have been assigned to a
document type then all of the management poli-
cies are controlled centrally. Documents that are
considered “records” are locked and they are
assigned a “retention schedule” which normally
means that the document cannot be deleted
or altered until the retention period ends. The
document lifecycle ends with a workflow which
allows data managers to either re-classify the
document or send it for deletion. This mostly
happens “behind the scenes” and users are
freed from many of the tasks usually required in
a document management solution. As it is based on Office 365, the solution also allows for easy
sharing of information with clients and partners and the easy sharing of resources with people
external to Jisc was an essential feature to them.
Jisc now has a robust, scalable and
manageable system for document and
records management.
The benefits include:
The Benefits
“A robust, scalable &
manageable system for
document & records
management”
It’s now easy for Jisc to create & sync
documents across a variety of client devices
It no longer matters what device the user has be it a PC, laptop, tablet or phone. Documents can
now be sourced and edited across a wide variety of devices and then later managed using their
web based Office 365 interface.
Document policy is managed centrally so
Jisc’s users don’t need to be data managers
Thanks to the central management we’ve put in place for Jisc, users no longer need to “know the
rules” about what documents are records or not nor do they need to know how long to keep stuff.
Document lifecycle is managed reducing
data sprawl & document hoarding
Documents now have regular review milestones and, once declared as records, they now have
defined end of life markers to avoid out of date documents being retained too long.
Documents are categorised allowing for
easier search & retrieval
Metadata is added to documents allowing users to now easily find information at a later date.
Findability is further improved by surfacing filters on search results pages.
“SharePoint Online is proving to be a great fit
for Jisc, providing us with a robust, yet
lightweight environment that will enable us to
collaborate effectively with colleagues,
partners and customers. We engaged
MindPoint to help us realise our plans for
implementing information and records
management controls within our Team Sites
and were delighted with the results. They
quickly understood our requirements, were
forthcoming with innovative ideas and worked
closely with us to deliver what we needed both
on time and on budget”
Steve Bailey, Project Manager, Jisc
Jisc’s SharePoint solution is easy to extend
as their organisation changes
We’ve ensured that it is easy for Jisc to manage future document types and futureproof the
effects of any organisational change. Jisc is still evolving as an organisation so it was critical that
they could factor in new groups and structures to their SharePoint solution.

4. © Copyright MindPoint Ltd 20146 7© Copyright MindPoint Ltd 2014
Expert SharePoint Consulting
MindPoint offer a wide range of SharePoint
consulting services, helping clients use
SharePoint to make their business leaner,
greener and more profitable.
Like all costly technology, SharePoint’s value
is in how it can be leveraged to reduce costs
and increase productivity. If your company
has SharePoint but isn’t using it effectively
then you’re wasting your investment. If you’re
considering using SharePoint then you will
want to get it right from the get-go.
To get the maximum return on their investment many customers enlist the help of our SharePoint
consulting services. Based in Colchester, Essex, we work with clients of all sizes and sectors, all
over the UK and in Europe, including The Bank of England. We are a leading SharePoint
consultancy with a difference because instead of focusing on the software, we focus rigorously
on results. Our approach is simple but powerfully effective. We work in strategic partnership with
your company leaders to gain a holistic understanding of your business. Then we design and
build a bespoke solution that is strategically aligned with your company’s objectives and we
streamline your architecture, processes and systems to optimise your business and deliver your
goals. Our team of specialists give an end-to-end service, creating a brilliantly designed, reliable
system that makes your company more productive: working at optimum capacity to realise your
business goals. Then we train your IT team and your people to manage it and use it effectively.
Free Discovery Call
Whether you’re an existing SharePoint user or a business looking
at adopting it; we’re always happy to arrange an informal, friendly
telephone conversation with you to learn more about your project,
tell you more about us and show you how we can add value to
your business.
Just click here to book a short, no-obligation Discovery Call.
MindPoint Limited
Suite 4, The Colchester Business Centre
1 George Williams Way, Colchester
Essex CO1 2JS
T: 01206 432 000
E: info@mindpoint.co.uk
W: www.mindpoint.co.uk