iWorkplace Elements launched in Australia to aid 365 compliance

Professional Advantage has launched iWorkplace Elements in Australia, a digital workspace solution for organisations using Microsoft 365.

The product, developed by Information Leadership in New Zealand, is designed for small to mid-sized businesses seeking to address challenges found in standard Microsoft 365 deployments, including difficulty managing and organising information.

Sarah Heal, Chief Executive Officer of Information Leadership, described the origins of the new solution. "In many cases, organisations moved quickly to the cloud during COVID but are now left wondering what to do with all of their content. Customers kept telling us their information management systems were dated, out of control, and messy—but often, the solution they needed was simply out of financial reach."

Andrew MacKenzie, Modern Work Practice Lead at Professional Advantage, said that while Microsoft collaboration tools have benefits, many businesses face obstacles with ongoing administration. MacKenzie commented, "While SharePoint and Teams have provided valuable collaboration features, SMBs often struggle with self-managing their environments. Additionally, enterprise customers face scaling challenges."

MacKenzie highlighted increasing compliance obligations, stating, "We all need to do better with our retention and disposal of content; the Privacy Act tells us so, and the recent uplift to the Privacy Act in Australia (September 2024) means information protection and compliance are even more relevant to small and large businesses alike."

He added, "Microsoft offers some great controls with Purview, but it can be an expensive step up if clients do not have E5 licensing. Purview also requires IT admins or consultants to configure and maintain the controls. iWorkplace Elements bridges this gap by offering a user-friendly solution that empowers businesses to take control of their digital workspace."

iWorkplace Elements includes a range of features intended to help organisations maximise their Microsoft 365 investment while maintaining control of data and costs. These include integration with SharePoint, Teams, and Azure, customisable workflows, advanced security options, and metadata-driven search capabilities to support compliance and information management.

Heal noted the additional benefits, explaining, "With our deep technical knowledge and proven iWorkplace tools, we're able to address issues like information compliance and protection, Teams sprawl, and unmanaged OneDrive silos. We've packed our advanced technologies into one simple 'easy to use' solution, making it possible for every organisation to improve their work and meet legislative requirements."

The platform builds on the existing iWorkplace content management system, which various enterprises use to achieve rapid deployment and reduce reliance on IT resources. It also provides consistent controls and automates metadata capture.

Professional Advantage's offering of iWorkplace Elements allows for rapid setup. Its core product, iWorkplace Elements Essentials + Preview, enables document management and workflow automation through a self-deployable solution, supported by Professional Advantage specialists. Additional modules are also available to meet more specific business needs, ranging from contract management to employee files.

Information Leadership has selected Professional Advantage as its exclusive strategic partner for iWorkplace Elements in Australia.

Derek Rippingale, Managing Director of Professional Advantage, said, "We believe iWorkplace Elements is one of those once-in-a-generation products that allows many small- to mid-sized Australian businesses to mix and match solutions tailored to their document management, communication, or workflow needs without the burden of extensive budget or lengthy implementation timeline."

Rippingale continued, "With over twenty years of experience helping our clients digitally transform using Microsoft 365 and SharePoint, we are confident that adding iWorkplace Elements to our portfolio will provide our clients with greater flexibility and cost-effective options while ensuring compliance."

The company has stated that since forming its partnership with Information Leadership in 2023, organisations across the not-for-profit, utilities, and other sectors have been using iWorkplace for information management and compliance.