Enterprise content management has transformed from an important but limited part of service and product delivery to an all-encompassing solution for customer relationship & knowledge management. As the world of business intelligence grows to support unstructured and semi-structured data across document management, collaboration, knowledge management, and ad hoc workgroups, ECM has begun to flourish.

Emerging Trends in Enterprise Content Management

With the advancement of enterprise content management, four trends are emerging:

• Structured and unstructured data sources are being tapped for predictive analytics and operational information
• Agile portals granting views of the whole enterprise at any given level of organization are demanded
• Total customer relationship management reporting combined with internal metrics spanning finances, products, supplier connections & all areas integral to business is essential

Enterprises require real-time reporting more than ever. The goals of enterprise content management are merging with those of the business intelligence community. Today’s BI vendors are supplying outstanding data delivery under both semi-structured and unstructured environments. ECM is being leveraged to supply performing metrics and business activity monitoring through unified dashboards, supplying all of the tools needed from one portal. The same interface supports businesses both large and small.

Business Process Modeling & Management

Business process modeling has reached the point where it is integral to business process management. Cross-platform portals give total access to business intelligence resources without the need for server or client-side dependencies. Web-based business management allows for aspects of web development, digital asset management, and company records and documents to be taken online, free from fixed costs.

ECM Core Services

ECM tools can be divided into six basic categories. A good vendor will cater to all these areas of functionality and more. The core services of enterprise content management are:

Library services supplying cataloging and indexing including a facility for asset discovery, check in and check out revisions, multiple revisions, and document updating from simultaneous users. Services also need to deliver replication, archiving, full backups, robust encryption, and recovery facilities.

Access and security governing overall retrieval processes, granting total user control and access privileges. Remote and local logins, as well as third-party sign-on services must all be supported.

User interface services which snap straight into content creation platforms, adding valuable layers of security, library management, and service control for workflows. Portals/dashboards need to display alerts, KPIs, reporting, and user-generated information across collaborative services with scope for customization.

Content storage and delivery systems which work parallel to library services, replicating and caching content for all application types. Content services also need to work with management services, supplying metadata for thirty-party data transfer and reporting.

Workflow management systems that allow visual design, attaching and processing documents and data at any segment of the process. Workflow services also need to automatically present users with the status of any given process, while supplying file services and pre-fill database propagation as well.

System management services must have intuitive wizards ready for all installation & management interfaces. Open scripting language and public APIs help immensely and are of increasing value to batch automation. Services also have to retain all schemas, conditions, and relevant metadata.

Forming the Perfect Foundation for Success

Good enterprise content management will have a framework which structures a business’ six basic areas of operation intelligently, harnessing the full potential of reporting & metrics. The benefits of business process modeling which incorporate the whole of your enterprise is unmatched. No matter which area you analyze, you’ll be able to find ways to communicate better, sell better, and understand your workforce at a deeper level.