iManage Work is a popular document and email management system used by many organizations worldwide. It is a powerful solution that offers a broad range of features and capabilities to help manage documents more efficiently. However, implementing iManage Work on-premises is a complex task that requires careful planning and execution to ensure a smooth and successful deployment. Getting answers to the questions below will help you estimate time, money and activities required to build a fully-functioning system. In this article, we will discuss what you should do before you begin iManage Work on-premises implementation.

Talk to the client

Before you begin implementing iManage Work, you must have a conversation with the client to understand their goals and requirements. Here are some of the questions you should ask the client:

• What is the goal you are trying to accomplish?
• Does iManage fit in that goal? How?
• How are you currently managing your documents?
• Is there a problem you are trying to fix? What is it?
• Are you familiar with iManage software? Have you used it before?
• What is your budget?

If iManage has already been chosen

If the client has already chosen iManage, it is crucial to understand the reasoning behind the decision. Here are some questions to ask the client:

• What convinced you to choose iManage? Which features are the most important for you?
• On-premises vs Cloud - have you already made that decision?
• What security concerns need to be addressed?
• What do you require in terms of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery?
• How many people will use it? How many new documents per month are you expecting?
• Are your users in one or many geographical locations? How far apart are you?
• Is there a large amount of data you would like to import into the system right after the installation?
• Do you need user/admin/IT support training?

Which components are to be installed?

Before you begin the installation process, you must decide which components of iManage Work to install. Here are the components to consider:

• Work
• File share
• Refile
• Directory Sync
• Share Agent (for iManage Share integration)
• Communication Server (for server-side email filing; should only be used for MailboxSync)
• RAVN Indexer (or IDOL)
• Security Policy Manager
• Threat Manager
• Records Manager
• Sentinel (if there are multiple Work Servers)
• Preview
• MS SQL Server

How will you interact with the system?

It is essential to decide how users will interact with the iManage Work system. Here are the questions to ask the client:

• Which apps will you use?
  • WebApp - default
  • Work Desktop for Windows
  • Work Desktop for Mac
  • Work for Google Workspace
  • Work Mobility (iOS/Blackberry/MobileIron/Intune)
  • IRM
• How should all those apps be configured?
• Should everyone have the same configuration?

Other technical questions

There are several technical questions you should consider before you begin iManage Work on-premises implementation. Here are some of the questions to ask:

• How are the servers hosted (physical machines, on-premises VMs, Azure VMs, 3rd party hosting VMs)?
• How will the workspaces get created (manually, integration with an ERP, other)?
• How will the apps get updated? Will you rely on iManage auto-update?
• Do you use a centralized software deployment system (SCCM, etc.)?
• Do your users use laptops, desktops, virtual desktops (Citrix, Azure Virtual Desktop, etc.) or all of the above?
• Do you use VPN?
• Would you like to have OCR?
• Who and how will manage the system after the implementation?
• Do you use any 3rd party software that integrates with MS Office or iManage (Templafy, DocuSign, Adobe, Laserform, etc.)?

After you have addressed all of the above questions, you will have a clearer understanding of the requirements and scope of the iManage Work implementation. With this information, you can then create a plan for the implementation process.

During the implementation process, it is important to work closely with the client to ensure that their specific needs are met. This may include customizations to the software or adjustments to the implementation plan as new requirements are discovered.

Conclusion

Implementing iManage Work on-premises requires careful planning and attention to detail. Things can go wrong and you risk leaving your users unhappy. By taking the time to address all the relevant questions and working closely with the client, you can ensure a successful implementation that meets their specific needs and requirements.

If you have that challenge in front of you and you are not quite sure how to tackle it - send me a message. I'd be happy to help.