Boston IT Support Provider Shares a Guide to SharePoint Document Management

Many organizations struggle to manage growing volumes of digital files, which leads to wasted time and missed insights. In fact, only 13% of organizations feel confident they are making the most of their data. A major factor is that employees often can’t easily locate the information they need. SharePoint document management can help reduce this challenge by organizing content, improving searchability, and supporting better collaboration.

“Properly implemented, SharePoint centralizes your files and integrates with Microsoft 365 for seamless, real-time collaboration. With Microsoft 365 Copilot, you can streamline workflows, automate tasks, and gain intelligent insights, making file management even more effective.” – Michael Kourkoulakos, CEO of NENS

However, it is not enough to simply move to SharePoint. Effective SharePoint document management usage is needed. If you are not aware of what SharePoint can do and how to use it, it will not help you improve your information management.

In this blog, a trusted IT support provider in Boston highlights SharePoint’s document management features and benefits, including seven practical ways to improve document control.

What is SharePoint Document Management?

SharePoint document management is a suite of tools within Microsoft SharePoint designed to help you store, organize, collaborate on, and manage documents. It provides a centralized platform to handle all document-related processes, which helps your organization maintain secure access, streamlined workflows, and effective collaboration.

Features & Benefits of SharePoint Document Management

1. Version Control

Version control tracks changes made to documents and keeps a history of all previous versions. It allows users to compare, restore, or revert to earlier versions of files. This ensures that no changes are lost and that users can always access the correct version of a document.

2. Document Libraries

Document libraries provide a centralized space to store and organize files. Users can create folders, categorize specific documents, and manage access. This helps team members locate files quickly and collaborate without confusion.

3. SharePoint Search Features

SharePoint’s search tools allow users to find documents using keywords, metadata, or filters. This reduces time spent searching for files and ensures quick access to the right information. When users search for a document, the results typically display the most recent version. However, if there are multiple versions of a document, users can search for them as well.

4. Check-In/Check-Out

The check-in/check-out feature prevents multiple users from editing a document at the same time. It locks a file while it is being edited and releases it when changes are complete. This minimizes conflicting updates and maintains document integrity.

5. Document Templates

SharePoint allows users to create reusable templates for common document types. Templates ensure consistency and save time by providing preformatted structures for recurring tasks, such as reports or forms.

6. Custom Workflow Automation

Custom workflows automate tasks like document approvals, notifications, and routing. By streamlining this work, teams can reduce manual work and focus on more important business processes. Combine SharePoint with Power Automate to create more advanced workflows.

7. Access Control

SharePoint provides granular control over who can view or edit documents. Administrators can assign permissions at the document, folder, or library level. These features help you protect sensitive information and maintain compliance.

8. Retention Policies

Retention policies specify how long documents must be kept and when they should be archived or deleted. This helps organizations meet legal requirements and avoid wasting storage space on unnecessary files.

9. Metadata Management

Metadata management allows users to tag documents with keywords, categories, or other attributes. This improves organization and makes it easier to locate relevant files.

Metadata Tag	Description
Enterprise Keywords	Enables users to add ad-hoc keywords to items, facilitating flexible tagging. These keywords are stored in a non-hierarchical term set called the keywords set, which can be managed centrally.
Custom Columns	Users can create custom metadata columns tailored to specific needs, allowing for more granular tagging and organization of content.
Choice Column	Allows users to select a value from a predefined list of options. This column is useful for enforcing consistency in tagging while allowing flexibility to fit the organization’s needs.
Lookup Column	Links to another list or library in SharePoint, enabling users to reference metadata from related sources. This approach enhances interconnectivity between different sets of data.
Retention Labels	Assigns lifecycle policies to content, specifying how long items should be retained and what actions should occur after expiration. This aids in compliance and information governance.

7 Best Practices to Help You Use The Document Management System in SharePoint to Its Fulles

1. Utilize Content Types & Document Sets

A content type is a template for a specific type of content in SharePoint. It combines metadata fields, document settings, workflows, and other attributes into a reusable structure. Metadata fields can exist independently, but bundling them into content types improves consistency and ease of use.

Document sets are a specific content type designed for grouping related files. Document sets are particularly useful for projects or tasks where multiple files share the same metadata. For example, you can set a due date onto a document set to allow a user to search for all tasks that must be completed by that due date.

2. Optimize Large Libraries With Indexed Columns

As your document library grows, retrieving specific files can become time-consuming. Indexing columns promotes faster and more efficient data retrieval. In fact, this practice can reduce load times by as much as 59%.

When you index a column, SharePoint creates a structured, searchable “map” of the data in that column. Instead of scanning every file and folder, SharePoint looks at this smaller, organized index to find matching values.

For example, if your library has 50,000 documents, indexing the “Year Created” column ensures SharePoint can quickly pull only the files tagged as “Year Created: 2025” instead of scanning all 50,000 files for the ones created in 2025.

3. Apply Information Rights Management (IRM)

Information rights management (IRM) helps protect sensitive documents from unauthorized access. By applying IRM, you can restrict actions such as printing, forwarding, or copying to only allow authorized individuals to perform specific tasks with the documents.

IRM settings can be configured for libraries or individual files. These restrictions are enforced at the file level using encryption and permissions policies. Research suggests that implementing access restrictions can reduce unauthorized data access incidents by 40%.

4. Set Up Alerts For Document Changes

Staying informed about modifications to important documents is crucial for effective collaboration. By setting up alerts, SharePoint notifies you of changes, additions, or deletions in real-time. This feature ensures that team members remain updated and can respond promptly to any alterations.

5. Implement a Clear Information Architecture

Define clear naming conventions, folder structures, and metadata properties to ensure consistency. This clarity reduces confusion and enhances user productivity by simplifying the process of locating and managing documents.

6. Regularly Clean Up Libraries

Over time, document libraries can become cluttered with outdated or redundant files. Regularly reviewing and archiving or deleting unnecessary documents keeps the library organized and efficient. This practice both saves storage space and helps users quickly find relevant and up-to-date information.

7. Regularly Review & Update Your Structure

As your team’s needs change, your SharePoint setup should adapt. Periodically review your document categories, metadata, and workflows. Adjust them to match current business processes and keep everything running smoothly.

How Using Microsoft Copilot Will Enhance Your SharePoint Document Management

Context-Aware Content Summaries

Copilot can scan SharePoint documents and create summaries that highlight the most relevant information. This feature is especially useful when you are reviewing a large number of detailed reports or documentation. For example, instead of reading a 20-page project plan, you can view a summary that outlines the project’s goals, deadlines, and risks.

Use Natural Language to Search & Discover

Copilot lets users ask questions in plain language instead of using complicated filters or navigation menus. Without Copilot, finding a specific document might require selecting the right library, applying multiple filters, and sorting through results. With Copilot, users receive targeted results pulled from across SharePoint libraries based on the meaning of their query.

Here’s an example search query of a user looking for proposals from last quarter to demonstrate the difference.

Without Copilot	Select the “Proposals” library → filter by “Date Submitted” → choose “Last Quarter” → sort by “Client Name”
With Copilot	Type “Show me proposals from last quarter” into the search bar

Team Collaboration

Copilot helps users find related documents, identify frequent contributors, and organize content more effectively across teams. For instance, if you are updating a shared policy, Copilot can surface the latest version, show who edited it last, and suggest related files. This keeps everyone on the same page and reduces the risk of duplicate work.

Faster Document Creation

When paired with SharePoint templates, Copilot can draft new content based on past documents, metadata, and organizational formatting standards. For example, instead of starting a Statement of Work from scratch, you can ask Copilot to generate one based on similar past projects. The result is less manual effort and more consistency.

Streamlined Workflow Building

Copilot can identify common patterns in how documents move through your SharePoint environment and suggest ways to automate those steps. It helps create workflows for routing, approvals, and reviews by connecting SharePoint to tools like Power Automate. This helps prevent delays and eliminates repetitive tasks.

Get Expert SharePoint Document Management Help from Our IT Support Team in Boston

The best practices highlighted in this article are general. There are edge use cases for SharePoint document management that may apply to your organization. If you have unique information management needs, an IT consultation may be in order.

NENS employs an experienced team of SharePoint experts. Our consultants can analyze your current IT infrastructure and help you customize your SharePoint environment in a way that fits your infrastructure and your goals.

Contact one of Boston’s trusted IT support providers today to learn how our experts can help optimize your document management processes and achieve your business goals.

Contact Information:

New England Network Solutions – Boston Managed IT Services

399 Boylston St 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02116
United States

Jackie Feathers
(855) 918-2126
https://www.nens.com/