I’ve posted a number of articles on SharePoint records management and the ‘cloud’ and I’ve spoken at length on the subject with a whole host of people, both pro-cloud and anti-cloud. I can honestly say both camps make strong arguments for or against managing records in a cloud environment.
Personally, I’m a little torn by the whole ‘cloud’ thing, but it reminds me a lot of the transition from mainframe computers to the client/server model we all went through 20 years or so ago. (Yes, I’m that old.)
I can remember a lot of people I worked with who resisted the change for a long time. And they often did so with fairly compelling arguments. But eventually the obvious benefits of the client/server model overwhelmed even the most ardent opponents of change and, in the end, the new way of doing things was almost universally accepted.
I don’t think operating in the cloud is a whole lot different. There are plenty of good reasons not to do it. But my sense is, over time, vendors will devise ways to mitigate those risks to the point that the anti-cloud argument will become more and more difficult to make.
Easily the most compelling argument I hear against a cloud-based solution from a Records Manager’s perspective is this: How do I manage my records repository pursuant to location-based compliance requirements when it’s not completely clear where my records repository even is? Records Managers are very reluctant to give up control of their record repository. This shouldn’t be surprising given it’s their neck that gets choked if regulations get violated or data sovereignty is beached.
So how can this risk be mitigated? Enter Office 365 and the hybrid cloud model. In a nutshell, a hybrid cloud model allows you to combine your current on-premises SharePoint records repository (and all the compliance and security that goes with it) with the cloud-based efficiency of Office 365.
If your organization is contemplating a cloud computing strategy (and it should be) and you have concerns about your SharePoint records repository, I encourage you to learn more about hybrid cloud environments. A great place to start is a terrific whitepaper on the subject by Paul Robinson of Microsoft, UK. You can find it here.
November 14, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Thanks for posting. As a cloud hosting provider, we do see some reluctance from managers concerned about the location of records data and other digital assets. But you’re spot on- hybrid cloud environments are a smart way to store some data on-premise while ‘less-sensitive’ records might reside in the cloud.
Yet Office 365 isn’t always the best way to go. As you pointed out, records managers don’t want to give up repository control when there are regulatory and/or data sovereignty issues to contend with. Office 365 is a public cloud environment and subject to Microsoft’s direct supervision (and security controls). Public clouds aren’t necessarily going to offer the speed, reliability or customization options that managers are accustomed to with on-premise servers.
Our company provides dedicated servers specifically designed for hosted SharePoint environments, and we commonly deploy hybrid cloud solutions. But instead of hosting in a public cloud like Office 365, we provide a private cloud model. By hosting a records repository in a private cloud, Records Managers can expect faster processing speeds and better reliability. Plus we offer FULL server control via RDP. That way Records Managers can completely customize the security of their hybrid cloud SharePoint environment.
November 14, 2011 at 9:42 pm
[Note - Due to our vendor-neutral policy we had to strip Matt's comment of any direct reference to his company. (We did this with Matt's permission, of course.) However, Matt makes some interesting points that we felt our readers might find useful, so the bulk of his original comment remains intact. We thank Matt for his understanding...]
November 18, 2011 at 8:36 am
Hi Don, good article again! I would like to add that recordmanagement functionality in office365/SharePoint online is really lacking because of the inability to archive documentsets. As we all know the documentset feature was such a great improvement that came with the 2010 version. But since documentsets cannot be archived with in-place-records and SharePoint online only offers in-place-records, you will have to move – as you pointed out in your blog – to a hybrid configuration. Companies want to move their recordsmanagement into the cloud and adopt a pay-per-use environment for economical reasons and are not aware of this lacking functionality. But yes, the hybrid construction is the only way to go if you want to use SharePoint to the full in the cloud. Check my blog on the same subject: http://www.ericburger.nl/site/sharepoint-2010/recordsmanagement-in-office365-en-sharepoint-online/