Apps Or ECM: Which Is Better?

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Are file sharing apps a better fit than ECM software when it comes to team collaboration?

When your team is collaborating on a project, do they use ECM software or a file sharing app such as Dropbox? It may come down to personal preference, but some technology experts say there are pros and cons to each solution.

According to Search Content Management, it’s all about ease of use. Workers don’t want complicated programs, they want ones that make it easy to contribute both from a desktop and from their mobile on the go. That’s why file sharing apps are so attractive — they provide remote access on demand. A survey of more than 1,000 employees found that more than half admit using an app to collaborate.

Another study, from Soonr, notes while 90 percent of workers now need remote access to files, only 22 percent of them are aware of a company-sanctioned file-sharing system.

Another article from Search Content Management points out enterprise software has a hard time competing with the ease of using apps. “Now compare that with big, clunky enterprise software that tries to do everything under the sun. People have been creating ways to work around those enterprise systems for years, getting their files out of the office by email, thumb drives and so forth,” writes Author Ron Miller. “File-sharing tools make it simpler, especially with smartphones and tablets. It's become an essential service for people.”

He explains that while ECM vendors are racing to catch up with apps, programs “born in the cloud” are difficult to compete with. “There's room for both types of companies in the market, but as we move forward, each set of companies, traditional and cloud, takes a step toward the other. They both recognize that large enterprise companies have certain needs. On the one side you have agility, and on the other you have stability.”