Knowledge Management is a growing field that centers around ways to capture and retrieve company knowledge. Knowledge Management is becoming more critical in organizations due to the economic climate and down-sizing. Companies are losing valuable resources and the knowledge they brought to the organization. If companies take the time to capture that knowledge then the loss is greatly reduced.

Most companies have the tools in place to make this knowledge capture possible and it is often a case of analysing the systems and finding the best ways to both capture and recover knowledge. These tools can be in many forms like databases, SharePoint sites, wikis, blogs and social networking sites.

Databases

Most companies have one or more databases where they store information, anything from financial information to sales and support information. With the right tools, these database can be queried to provide reports etc.  It is also important to evaluate your risk management on all of your databases.  Making sure that you have backup/restore capabilites and disaster recovery processes can greatly reduce any data loss.

SharePoint

SharePoint sites contain a great deal of information and out of the box can store a vast amount of company knowledge.  Factor in customizations and a SharePoint site can be a valuable resource for storing company knowledge.  Silver Lining Computing has extensive knowledge and experience in building customizations to help your business get the most out of its SharePoint site.  We can also assist with custom web parts to ensure that your employees are getting access to the knowledge they need.

Wikis and Blogs

Wikis and Blogs are a great way for individiuals to share their knowledge, if you make it easy for users to contribute information to these types of sites, the information will remain long after the author has left the company.  SharePoint provides both of these services and also adds a powerful search engine that can make the knowledge even easier for people to access.

Social Networks

Social Networks provide valuable insight into the interests and knowledge of your employees. Whether they are career-centric sites like Linked In or Plaxo or Personal sites like FaceBook. Most people are familiar with this kind of site and with a company focus on the information being shared, sites like these can lead you to the right person for the knowlege you seek.  Ask us about setting up “My Sites” for your employees.