Challenges

The government has thousands of document management users
Government data is growing exponentially, which needs to be managed in compliance with stringent information security requirements
Complex rules around document archiving and disposition were making it difficult to maintain the required level of governance and control

More than ever, a government’s day-to-day business depends on data. Due to complexities around records creation, transfer, storage, and disposition, it is crucial for government employees to manage records securely, effectively, and in compliance with all applicable regulations.

In the executive branch of one federal government, a dedicated team is responsible for delivering document management capabilities to help government employees meet these demanding requirements.

A spokesperson for the records management team said, “The majority of departments and agencies have the same basic requirements around document management. They need to immediately store documents in a secure repository, including metadata, to allow fast retrieval of the records. And at the end of the lifecycle, we either need to dispose of records or send them for long-term retention.”

Across government, data volumes are growing exponentially. As a result, robust document management capabilities are a key requirement for the government’s records management team.

The spokesperson confirmed, “If departments and agencies had to rely on shared drives and spreadsheets to manage the document lifecycle, it would be practically impossible to maintain the required level of governance and control. A modern, enterprise-class document management solution is essential to meet the requirements of 21st-century government.”

OpenText Content Management plays a vital role in ensuring that the government runs smoothly.

Spokesperson
Records management team for a federal government

Solution

For almost three decades, this country’s federal government has relied on OpenText Content Management (Extended ECM) to deliver enterprise content management capabilities to thousands of government users.

Products deployed

OpenText™ Content Management

Link knowledge to processes with enterprise content management tools

Services provided

OpenText™ Professional Services

Get a trusted partner to guide your information management path

Delivering a central enterprise content management platform

OpenText Content Management provides foundational enterprise content management capabilities that underpin day-to-day government business. The solution allows departments and agencies to automatically classify and tag documents with metadata and govern data securely throughout the lifecycle.

“Our team is responsible for delivering OpenText Content Management to our stakeholders in the federal government,” explained the spokesperson. “The OpenText solution is a perfect fit for our use cases. For example, we use the solution to manage everything from physical records stored in our archives to scanned paper documents and digital files.”

As custodians of sensitive data, the federal government must ensure that information is protected in line with stringent information security requirements. The spokesperson commented, “The OpenText solution allows us to apply the appropriate security clearance marking to each record. This ensures that information is properly protected—for example, with encryption in flight and at rest.”

Enabling integration with Microsoft Teams

As the federal government’s use of digital tools has evolved, the OpenText solution has evolved with it. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, many government employees switched to remote working, using Microsoft Teams to collaborate with their peers. By deploying an integration with Microsoft 365, the records management team empowered remote employees to work even more effectively.

“With business workspaces in Microsoft Teams, it’s so much easier for employees to find and work with information stored in OpenText Content Management,” said the spokesperson. “Our people can create custom workspaces that pull together the records and contacts they need to perform their work. Employees can even collaborate simultaneously on documents stored on the OpenText platform directly from their Microsoft 365 apps, with a full audit trail of all changes.”

Onboarding new users with OpenText Professional Services

During the deployment of OpenText Content Management, the records management team worked closely with experts from OpenText Professional Services to ensure a smooth, disruption-free implementation.

“We were completely new to OpenText Content Management when we started the project, so we greatly appreciated the technical support and guidance from OpenText Professional Services,” stated the spokesperson. “Since then, we’ve enabled additional integrations between OpenText Content Management and our Microsoft environment, including Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive.”

The spokesperson added, “We find it extremely valuable to have a knowledgeable partner like OpenText Professional Services. When we receive new records management solution requests from our government stakeholders, we often leverage OpenText Professional Services to help us deliver on our stakeholders’ requirements.”

OpenText Learning Services has a long-standing, collaborative partnership with the federal government. By supporting ongoing training and knowledge requirements, OpenText Learning Services has helped government users develop critical skills and maximize the benefits of the OpenText solution.

Using OpenText Content Management, we’ve put in place a robust file classification process that allows us to regulate the management and disposition of documents for each of the government departments and agencies we work with.

Spokesperson
Records management team for a federal government

Result

OpenText Content Management continues to be the records management platform of choice for multiple departments across the executive branch of this federal government.

Enabled support for thousands of federal government employees

Today, OpenText solutions help thousands of users across numerous federal government departments deliver key services to citizens. For example, the department responsible for transportation policies and programs uses the platform to manage regulatory documents, while others focused on national infrastructure use OpenText Content Management to store engineering drawings in CAD formats.

“OpenText Content Management plays a vital role in ensuring that the government runs smoothly,” confirmed the spokesperson. “For example, the executive branch uses the OpenText solution to manage government correspondence and prepare confidential briefings. Because of the sensitive nature of this work, the full audit log in the solution is essential; it shows who worked on and approved each document, and when.”

Facilitated effective regulatory compliance

With automated document classification and metadata enrichment from OpenText information governance solutions, the government can maintain compliance with regulations around data protection, disposition, and archiving.

“There are so many regulations to comply with, which means automation is an essential capability for our users,” said the spokesperson. “Using OpenText Content Management, we’ve put in place a robust file classification process that allows us to regulate the management and disposition of documents for each of the government departments and agencies we work with.”

Prepared the government for GenAI

The records management team sees that OpenText Content Management will continue to deliver reliable and secure records management capabilities for the government for years to come. The organization is preparing to upgrade to the latest version of the solution and is exploring the possibility of augmenting its capabilities with OpenText Content Management for SAP® Solutions and OpenText Content Aviator.

“We’re very interested in the latest AI capabilities from OpenText, and we’ll be looking closely at GenAI solutions like OpenText Content Aviator,” concluded the spokesperson. “As an organization, OpenText continues to be an excellent partner.”