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•Contributed Editorial: Can Your Business Afford Not To Implement Enterprise Content Management (ECM)?

By James Thumma, Optical Image Technology

I'll let you in on a little secret. Articles like this are typically choc-full of scare tactics. Vendors like to talk big about the perils of paper processes, and how difficult it is to conform to compliance requirements. It is true that by definition, it's almost impossible to implement the privacy and accountability measures that are mandated by law if your business is still paper-based. And if your business is paper-based, you are already intimately familiar with the struggles that are associated with trying to conform to industry directives—especially if you don't have solid tools in place to do so efficiently. None of this is news to you.

It's also not news that your business could be impaired or even ruined if you are unable to produce information in a timely manner. This can happen specifically if you are ever required to submit materials as part of an e-discovery scenario. Electronic documents, email, IM chats, audio files, and any other information that is stored electronically is fair game as part of litigation. It comes as no surprise that if you don't have a way to access, organize, and manage your documents, business inefficiency could potentially be the least of your worries.

So let's to cut to the chase. The answer is no. With regulations becoming more stringent with each passing year, your business cannot afford to not implement ECM. You probably suspected as much going into this article. But if you continue to read, you may discover some motivators for adopting ECM that go beyond prospective penalties, damages, and other losses. Because it's not about scare tactics. Instead of thinking about what you stand to lose if you don't adopt ECM, consider what your business could gain with the right software implementation and the knowledge to make it work. The great equalizer

ECM can provide your business—regardless of its size—with the opportunity to do more with less, and to compete with larger organizations that traditionally have access to more resources. With the right installation, the software gives you the ability to store all of your corporate information in a single searchable repository. As a result, files are no longer lost, misplaced, or duplicated. Your customers can get answers when they call—not when your staff is done finding the right file—and staff no longer has to wade through boxes of files and folders. Offsite storage can be eliminated, and onsite storage space can be converted to something more useful. Customers even have the option of self-service with secure electronic Web access. This is the bare minimum that ECM can do for your organization.

Click Here To Download:
•Contributed Editorial: Can Your Business Afford Not To Implement Enterprise Content Management (ECM)?