Unravel The ECM Enigma
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Like many companies, you may still be trying to figure out exactly where the term ECM (enterprise content management) came from and how it differs from good old content management. Content management, simply stated, is the process of sharing information vital to an organization. ECM solutions, which grew out of this concept, begin with solid content management capabilities as their foundation. However, today's ECM solutions have evolved into true information management platforms that possess numerous capabilities such as document imaging, records management, Web content management, forms management, e-mail management, digital asset management, collaboration, and BPM (business process management) that go far beyond simple content management. Ultimately, ECM is a technology, or set of technologies, that allows an organization to more effectively and efficiently create, manage, deliver, and archive unstructured content such as Web pages, documents, rich media, records, and collaborative content.
Now, this is a relatively simple way to look at what is really a very complex problem for many organizations. "Recent analyst estimates indicate that nearly 80% of the information that most companies produce is unstructured," says Christopher McLaughlin, director of product marketing for FileNet Corp. "A recent academic study also indicates that the volume of information that today's companies create, manage, and store is literally doubling every year." The challenge for your organization is to avoid being buried by this avalanche of information, and ECM technologies will play an increasingly important role in helping you accomplish that.