Across Australia and globally, records and information professionals are navigating one of the most significant shifts in the industry: the rapid adoption of Microsoft 365 as the primary platform for day-to-day business operations. Tools such as Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook are now at the centre of how organisations collaborate, communicate, and create information. This widespread adoption reflects a broader trend in records management - moving away from traditional, centralised systems toward distributed, cloud-based environments.
However, this shift has introduced a fundamental challenge.
The growing disconnect between systems
Many organisations continue to rely on OpenText Content Manager as their EDRMS, ensuring it is configured with robust classification schemes, retention schedules, and governance controls designed to meet compliance obligations.
At the same time, Microsoft 365 is where work actually happens.
Records are created in Teams conversations, documents are stored in SharePoint, and critical decisions are made via Outlook. The issue is not that these tools lack capability - Microsoft 365 does include records management features - but rather that they require careful configuration, governance, and user adoption to be effective. Without this, organisations face a familiar problem: records are being created outside of Content Manager and never captured into it.
Why this matters more than ever
Records management has always been about controlling the full lifecycle of information - from creation through to disposal - but in a modern digital workplace, that lifecycle is fragmented across multiple systems.
Recent industry insights highlight that organisations are struggling with visibility, control, and governance in Microsoft 365 environments, particularly due to oversharing, misconfiguration, and rapid feature expansion - such as CopPilot. Government guidance across Australia reinforces this concern, noting that organisations remain responsible for managing records created in Microsoft 365 and must ensure they meet recordkeeping standards.
The risk is clear:
- Information is stored in uncontrolled locations
- Records are not classified correctly
- Retention and disposal rules are not applied
- Compliance obligations are put at risk
In short, the integrity of the organisation’s recordkeeping framework begins to erode.
The integration challenge
For many organisations, the goal is not to replace Content Manager, but to ensure it continues to act as the authoritative system of record.
However, expecting users to manually save content from Microsoft 365 into Content Manager is unrealistic. It interrupts workflows, relies on human behaviour, and often results in inconsistent or incomplete capture.
At the same time, attempting to force Microsoft 365 to fully replicate the governance capabilities of a mature EDRMS can be complex, resource-intensive, and difficult to maintain over time.
What organisations need is a way to connect these environments seamlessly.
Introducing FYB Connect
This is exactly why FYB Connect was developed.
FYB Connect bridges the gap between Microsoft 365 and Content Manager by enabling organisations to capture records directly from the systems where work occurs, into the system designed to manage them.
Rather than forcing users to change behaviour, FYB Connect works within existing workflows, ensuring that:
- Records created in Microsoft 365 are captured automatically or with minimal effort
- Metadata and classification rules are applied consistently
- Content Manager remains the single source of truth
- Governance and compliance requirements are maintained
This approach aligns with emerging best practice across the industry, where integration - not replacement - is the key to effective information governance.
Moving forward
For records and information professionals, the challenge is no longer just about managing records - it’s about managing records wherever they are created.
Bridging the gap between Microsoft 365 and Content Manager is not just a technical problem; it is a strategic priority. Without it, organisations risk losing control of their information. With it, they can enable modern ways of working while maintaining the governance frameworks they rely on.
FYB Connect is designed to make that possible.
Contact Us to Learn More about FYB Connect
