2.5 hours per day. That's the average time an employee spends searching for files, checking versions and chasing approvals by email. SharePoint Online transforms this invisible chaos into a structured information system — natively connected to Business Central and Power BI.
Our free 5-day document audit maps your document flows, measures time lost searching, identifies which workflows to automate first and delivers a costed DMS architecture — connected to your ERP and dashboards.
A CEO who invests 100 million FCFA in an ERP doesn't realize they're losing 150 million per year in document search time. Document chaos is invisible because it's distributed: 15 minutes here, 20 minutes there, an email follow-up, a lost version. Nobody adds it up.
Saturated file server with folders named 'New folder (3)'. USB drives circulating between offices. WhatsApp for urgencies. Emails with 5 versions of the same contract attached. The accountant's personal Google Drive. The HR Director keeping personnel files in a locked physical cabinet. Each employee has 'their' system. Result: when the auditor asks for the March board minutes, it takes 3 days to find them — if they're found at all.
Who modified this contract on February 12th? Which version was signed by the supplier? The activity report sent to the supervisory ministry, is it really the final version? Without a DMS, these questions have no reliable answer. For public institutions and audited organizations, it's a permanent legal risk. For businesses, it's a commercial risk: a lost contract means a dispute without evidence.
A purchase order to approve? Email to the department head, who's in a meeting. Follow up the next day. They forward to the CFO, who prints, signs, scans and sends back. The scan is illegible. Start over. 5 days for one signature. Meanwhile, the supplier waits, the project stalls, and the CEO wonders why nothing moves. The problem isn't the people — it's the process.
Before: he opens the file server, navigates to 'General Management > Minutes > 2025 > January'. The folder is empty. He emails the assistant. She responds 2 hours later with a file 'Minutes_Board_jan_v2_final_corrected.docx'. He's not sure it's the right version.
Now: he types 'board minutes January' in the SharePoint search bar. The document appears in 3 seconds. He sees version 4 (the latest), validated by the board chair on January 28th. Complete change history accessible. Total time: 5 seconds.
Before: she emails the contract to the commercial director, who forwards to the CFO, who prints, signs, scans and sends back. 5 days. The scan is blurry. The CFO is traveling to Yamoussoukro. Follow up. The supplier threatens to break off negotiations.
Now: she deposits the contract in the 'Supplier Contracts' library. Power Automate triggers the approval workflow: push notification to the commercial director (approves on his phone in 10 minutes), then to the CFO (electronic signature from Yamoussoukro). The validated contract is automatically classified with metadata (supplier, amount, expiration date). Total time: 2 hours.
Before: the accountant opens the 'Scans 2025' folder. 847 unclassified files. He starts searching by date. Some scans are named 'IMG_20250723_142356.jpg'. The auditor waits. The accountant sweats.
Now: the auditor opens Business Central, clicks on any purchase entry. The linked supporting document in SharePoint opens in one click. Supplier invoice, delivery note, purchase order — everything linked, indexed, and archived in the right place. The accountant smiles. So does the auditor.
Before: the team leader takes photos with his personal phone. He writes a Word report in the evening at the hotel. He sends it via WhatsApp to the project manager in Abidjan. The PM forwards it by email to the operations director. The photo of the wall crack can't be found 3 months later when the dispute arises.
Now: he opens the Power Apps application on his phone. He takes geolocated photos, fills in the structured form, signs digitally. Even without 4G coverage in Bouaké — the app works offline. When the network returns, everything syncs to the SharePoint 'Field Reports' library. The operations director gets a Teams notification. Photos are archived with the report, linked to the project, findable in 5 seconds.
Before: for an overview, he has to open Power BI for figures, Outlook for important emails, the file server for memos, and ask his assistant for the latest minutes. 4 tools, 4 passwords, 4 different experiences.
Now: he opens a single SharePoint portal 'Management Space'. At the top: the consolidated Power BI dashboard (revenue, treasury, active projects) embedded directly. Below: the week's memos, contracts awaiting signature, field reports from the last 48 hours. One place. One click. Everything is there.
This story is not fiction. Each scenario is a combination of situations we've encountered with our clients. The file server with 'New folder (3)', scans named 'IMG_', site WhatsApp messages — we see them every week. The good news: each of these problems is solved in 8 weeks.
| Criteria | File server | Google Drive | Dropbox Business | SharePoint Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured metadata | ✗ None | ✗ Labels only | ✗ Basic tags | ✓ Custom columns |
| Approval workflows | ✗ Aucun | ~ Google Forms | ✗ Aucun | ✓ Native Power Automate |
| ERP connection | ✗ None | ✗ None | ✗ None | ✓ Native Business Central |
| Embedded BI dashboards | ✗ Not possible | ✗ Not possible | ✗ Not possible | ✓ Integrated Power BI |
| Retention policies | ✗ Manual | ~ Google Vault ($) | ✗ None | ✓ Microsoft Purview |
| Sensitivity labels | ✗ None | ✗ None | ✗ None | ✓ Auto encryption |
| Content search | ~ Filename only | ✓ Good | ~ Limited | ✓ Full-text + OCR |
| Offline access | ✓ Native (LAN) | ✓ Sync | ✓ Smart Sync | ✓ OneDrive Sync |
| Intranet / portal | ✗ Not possible | ~ Google Sites basique | ✗ Not possible | ✓ Modern sites |
| Server / infra cost | Server + NAS + backup + admin | 0 (cloud) | 0 (cloud) | 0 (inclus M365) |
The file server wins on one point only: LAN access without internet. But it's an expensive advantage (server, NAS, backup, cooling, managed services) that vanishes as soon as an employee travels. Google Drive and Dropbox are excellent personal storage tools — but they're not enterprise document management systems. SharePoint is the only one that checks all 10 boxes, and it's already included in your Microsoft 365 license.
Each department, project, and document type has its structured library. Custom metadata (type, client, status, expiration date, amount). Views filtered by any criteria. Full-text search within all document content — including scanned PDFs via OCR. No need to name files 'Contract_Abidjan_2025_v3_final_REAL.docx': metadata does the work.
Sequential or parallel document approvals. Signature circuit with automatic escalation (no response within 24h, next level is notified). Email, Teams or mobile push notifications. Each step is timestamped and traceable. A document deposited in the right library automatically triggers the appropriate circuit — zero manual action.
Access rights inherited by Azure AD / Entra ID group. The HR Director sees personnel files, the accountant sees supporting documents, the CEO sees everything. Auditors receive temporary read-only guest access. No unmanageable individual permissions. Complete audit trail: who opened, modified, shared, downloaded each document, and when.
Full-text search within all document content (Word, Excel, PDF, OCR scans, images). Filtering by metadata, date, author, type. Microsoft Search unifies SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook and Teams search in one bar. When Mr. Kouadio types 'board minutes January', he finds it in 3 seconds — without knowing the file name.
Multiple people edit the same document simultaneously in the browser or Office desktop. No more 'document_v3_final_REAL.docx'. Complete version history with ability to restore any previous version in one click. Check-in/check-out available for sensitive documents requiring exclusive locking.
Intranet d'entreprise, portail projet, espace direction — sans développement web, sans code, sans webmaster. SharePoint permet de créer des sites internes modernes avec actualités, bibliothèques, listes, dashboards Integrated Power BIs, et formulaires. Le portail du DG avec ses KPIs et ses documents clés : 2 heures de configuration, pas 2 mois de développement.
The Hub site is the single entry point to the intranet. It provides shared navigation, branding and unified search to all associated sites. Each department has its dedicated site with its own libraries, but search spans all sites. One result, whether it comes from GM, Finance or a project site.
Content types define mandatory metadata per document category. A supplier contract requires: supplier, amount, currency, expiration date. Minutes require: meeting date, participants, validation status. Content types are defined once at hub level and inherited by all sites — guaranteed consistency.
The Graph API exposes all SharePoint documents programmatically. Business apps (Power Apps, Business Central, third-party solutions) can read, write and search documents via REST API. This makes possible the automatic link between a BC accounting entry and its SP supporting document.
1 TB base + 10 GB per user. Azure cloud storage with geo-redundant replication (your data is replicated across 2 datacenters). No server to maintain, no backup to schedule, no NAS to buy. Search performance is indexed by Microsoft — even with 500,000 documents, search stays under one second.
Every invoice, purchase order or contract entered in Business Central is automatically linked to its supporting document in SharePoint via the Graph API. The auditor opens the accounting entry and accesses the source document in one click. No more shoebox of scans. No more 'I'm looking for supplier X's July invoice'.
Real case: the accountant enters an invoice in BC. The invoice PDF is automatically classified in SharePoint with metadata (supplier, invoice #, amount, date). The BC entry contains a direct link to the SP document. Bidirectional connection, zero manual action.
Power BI reports are published directly to each department's SharePoint sites. The CEO opens their portal and sees dashboards alongside memos and minutes. The CFO sees financial KPIs next to pending contracts. No need to navigate between 4 applications.
Real case: the 'Monthly Revenue Tracking' dashboard is embedded in the 'Sales Department' SharePoint site homepage. The sales director sees figures and sales documents in the same space. Power BI and SharePoint permissions are synchronized: same Row-Level Security.
A salesperson in Bouaké enters a purchase order via Power Apps on their phone (even offline). The order is archived in SharePoint ('Field Orders' library). The entry is created in Business Central (via Power Automate). Revenue updates in the sales director's Power BI dashboard in Abidjan. From field to dashboard: one flow, zero re-entry, zero email.
That's 'from source to insight'. The DMS isn't a storage tool — it's the nervous system linking transactions (ERP), documents (SharePoint) and decisions (Power BI). When all three pillars are connected, every piece of information has an address, an owner, a history and a purpose.
Copilot in Microsoft 365 goes beyond Word and Excel. In SharePoint, it transforms how you interact with your documents. Instead of searching for a file, you ask a question in natural language.
'Which supplier contracts expire in the next 90 days?' Copilot searches your SharePoint libraries, reads metadata and content, and gives you the answer — with direct links to each document. No more navigating through 15 folders.
A 15-page board minutes? Copilot summarizes it in 3 paragraphs with key decisions and assigned actions. A 40-page audit report? Copilot extracts non-compliance points and recommendations. You read the essentials in 30 seconds instead of 45 minutes.
'Compare the terms of the 3 supplier offers for lot 2 of the infrastructure tender.' Copilot reads all 3 documents, extracts prices, timelines, payment terms, and presents a comparison table. 2 hours of work becomes a 10-second question.
'Draft a memo announcing the new leave policy, incorporating key points from the HR document validated on March 15.' Copilot creates the draft from your existing documents, in your organization's communication style. Human review required, but 80% of the work is done.
Transparency: Microsoft 365 Copilot is a separate subscription ($30/user/month) on top of the M365 license. All SharePoint features described on this page work without Copilot. Copilot is an accelerator, not a prerequisite. We recommend deploying it in phase 2, once the DMS is structured and documents classified — AI is most effective when data is clean.
SharePoint Online · OneDrive 1 TB · Teams · Exchange Online. Web apps only. Sufficient for users who view, approve and search.
Everything in Basic + Office desktop apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). The ideal choice for most organizations.
Everything in Standard + full Purview, Intune, advanced protection. Essential for institutions with regulatory requirements.
Microsoft prices indicative. Rate: $1 ≈ 610 FCFA. Deployment costs depend on scope.
Mapping of your document flows. Interviews with each department (1h). Identification of libraries, metadata, existing workflows (formal and informal). Target SharePoint structure. Migration plan with cleanup criteria. Deliverable: audit report + validated architecture + migration plan.
Creation of Hub site intranet and department sites. Libraries, content types, metadata. Power Automate workflows (approval, notification, escalation). Purview policies (retention, sensitivity). Migration of active documents with reclassification and cleanup. BC and Power BI connection if deployed.
Champion training (2 × 3h) and key users (1 × 2h per department). Personalized guide with screenshots of YOUR libraries. Switch to production. 15-day support included. Adoption test: each champion creates, classifies, searches, shares and validates a document independently.
You're not the first to hesitate. Here's what our clients told us before starting.
The answer isn't to ban WhatsApp — it's to make SharePoint easier for document tasks. When depositing a document takes 5 seconds and automatically triggers the workflow, nobody goes back to email. We train champions per department who become internal ambassadors. Adoption happens through usage, not decree.
We don't migrate in bulk. Migration is the spring cleaning nobody's done. Identify active documents (last modified < 2 years), archive the rest, migrate with reclassification. On average, 70% of files on a server are never opened again. We don't migrate them — we archive them. Result: a clean DMS from day 1.
OneDrive syncs SharePoint folders to local devices — work offline, sync when the network returns. Power Apps works offline for field teams. Main sites need a stable connection. Field sites work with intermittent connectivity.
Our trained champions create libraries, add columns, modify views, and create simple workflows — without calling us. The adoption test verifies exactly this. If your champions aren't autonomous, we extend training for free.
SharePoint 2019 on-premise and SharePoint Online 2025 are two different products. The modern interface is simple, search works natively, Microsoft invests heavily in UX. If your previous deployment failed, it was likely the structure, metadata or lack of workflows. That's exactly what we fix.
Microsoft Purview: retention rules by document type. HR documents: 10 years. Board minutes: 20 years. Emails: 3 years. Automatic deletion at expiry. Litigation hold for documents under proceedings. Rules auditable and not modifiable by users.
Automatic or manual classification: public, internal, confidential, strictly confidential. Sensitivity labels control AES-256 encryption, external sharing, printing and downloading. A confidential contract cannot leave the organization — the system blocks the action.
Every action recorded: open, modify, share, download, delete. Immutable log, retained 10 years (Premium). Exportable as CSV. For institutions subject to external audits, auditors access directly.
A typical DMS integrator deploys SharePoint and stops there. We connect it to Business Central (supporting documents linked to entries) and Power BI (dashboards embedded in portals). Your documents become actionable data — not just stored files. That's from source to insight.
Legal archiving, regulatory retention, sensitivity classification, controlled guest access for auditors, data sovereignty. We know these constraints — they're the core of our market. Our proposal to the Ivory Coast MFA covers 60 diplomatic posts.
Trained champion pairs, personalized guide with screenshots of YOUR libraries, adoption test. If your champions aren't autonomous, we extend training. The day you no longer need us is the day we've succeeded.
Bureaux à Paris et Abidjan. Contracts en droit français. 6 experts seniors, plus de 90 ans d'expérience collective. Pas d'offshore, pas de juniors déguisés. Un consultant senior qui connaît votre contexte réglementaire et votre fuseau horaire.
The 15 questions our prospects ask most often about document management.