Sustainable information management in Microsoft 365

What is sustainable information management?

Sustainable information management means that digital information remains accessible, authentic and reliable throughout its life cycle. It is not just about storage, but governance, metadata and management processes that comply with Dutch legislation.

In the Dutch context:

• Archives Act 1995: requires organizations to preserve and destroy sustainably.

• Open Government Act (Woo): promotes transparency and digital accessibility.

• NEN-ISO 16175 and NEN7510: set requirements for sustainable digital archiving.

Without clear frameworks, an M365 environment quickly leads to:

• Untraceable information

• Version confusion

• Compliance risks

• Loss of context on transfer

ALTA-ICT helps organizations eliminate these risks with standardized metadata, records policies and automatic archive links.

 

Implementation: Sustainable information management in Microsoft 365

Building a sustainable information economy starts with structure. Below we describe how ALTA-ICT is implementing this in phases at Dutch organizations.

Step 1: Analysis & Information Architecture

• Inventory of current DMS structures.

• Analysis of information flows (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive)

• Establish retention periods, classifications and metadata

Result: clear overview of information and risks.

Step 2: Governance Framework

• Information management policy frameworks.

• Roles and responsibilities within M365

• Lifecycle management (creation → use → archiving → destruction)

Result: control over who manages, stores and deletes what.

Step 3: Technical setup (SharePoint RMA)

• Configuration of labels, policies and metadata fields

• Integration with existing filing systems (e.g., Decos, Corsa)

• Access rights and version control according to ISO27001

Result: fully compliant SharePoint environment.

Step 4: Adoption & Training

• User workshops by department

• SharePoint governance handbook

• Automation of metadata and labeling

Result: employees work efficiently and compliantly.

 

Common challenges in organizations

1. Archive Act & Woo compliance
   Companies must keep information sustainably findable, accessible and transferable – often without clear policies or tooling.

2. Migration problems with DMS transition
   When transitioning to M365, metadata or versions are lost. ALTA-ICT safeguards this through structured migration plans and validation.

3. Lack of adoption
   Without support, information management remains an IT project. We ensure behavior change and ownership through adoption programs.

4. Insufficient governance
   Without clear agreements, proliferation occurs. ALTA-ICT establishes governance templates including roles, workflows and reporting.

 

ROI of sustainable information management

Sustainable information management delivers direct and indirect value:

Organizations working with ALTA-ICT achieve an average of up to 35% time savings in document management processes within M365.

 

The ALTA-ICT approach

At ALTA-ICT, we combine technical expertise with Dutch compliance knowledge:

✅ Integration with archive systems for sustainable preservation
✅ SharePoint governance frameworks customized
✅ ISO27001, ISO9001 and NEN7510 certified
✅ Specialized in Woo and Archive Act implementations
✅ Adoption programs that drive behavioral change

Our approach is practical, measurable and compliant – exactly what Dutch organizations need to stay future-proof.

 

FAQ – Sustainable information management in Microsoft 365

1️⃣ Is Microsoft 365 suitable for archival-grade information?
Yes, if properly set up. SharePoint provides features for records management, retention periods and access management – provided governance is properly set up.

2️⃣ What specifically does Woo compliance mean?
That documents are transparent, findable and permanently accessible for public inspection in accordance with the Open Government Act.

3️⃣ How does ALTA-ICT prevent proliferation in Teams?
By applying policies, templates and approved provisioning processes linked to metadata.

4️⃣ Can we link existing archives to M365?
Yes. ALTA-ICT builds API integrations with filing systems such as Corsa, Decos or Verseon.

5️⃣ How do I get started with sustainable information management?
Start with an M365 Information Management Quickscan – we’ll identify your risks and areas for improvement in one week.

 

Conclusion

Sustainable information management in Microsoft 365 is about more than technology – it’s about control, compliance and continuity. Through smart setup, governance and adoption, you create an organization that not only manages its information, but truly understands and leverages it.

Want to know how your organization is performing on sustainable information management?
Schedule a free consultation with our M365 specialists via alta-ict.co.uk/consultation

 

Reference

¹https://www.linkedin.com/posts/altaict_woo-microsoft365-m365-activity-7379023800841166848-zAQF