Utility evaluates online collaboration

Pipe and cable operator tests system to improve business efficiency

National Grid is testing an online collaboration system to increase the efficiency of its internal communications.

The electricity and gas pipe operator has been testing Microsoft’s Sharepoint software with its legal department to keep better control of documentation, and is now preparing to use the system more widely.

Deployment will be targeted and measured to make sure National Grid uses collaboration in the best ways possible, says Adam Davidson, a solicitor with the company.

‘We are now participating in a corporate rollout where we share our knowledge and experience with other departments, feeding information into the business-wide project,’ he said.

Adoption on a case-by-case basis is a key part of the corporate take-up of collaboration systems at National Grid, with individual departments asked to think about how the software can be usefully adopted.

The success of the system with the firm’s in-house legal staff has been very important in the acceptance process, says Davidson.

‘It has certainly helped us to be more efficient, and work more effectively as a team with the rest of the business,’ he said.

‘Plus, it has pushed the awareness of the collaboration system out there into the business.’

National Grid’s legal team has been testing Sharepoint alongside a document security program called Workshare.

The system is being used to help ensure legal papers sent out electronically do not accidentally divulge sensitive company information.

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