Chicago ECM | Concurrency, Inc.

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is the strategies, methods and tools used to capture, manage, store, preserve and deliver content and documents related to organizational processes. ECM is a way to organize and store an organization’s documents as well as other content that relate to any processes within an organization. Enterprise content management is an umbrella term covering the following:

• Document Management
• Web Content Management
• Search
• Collaboration
• Records Management
• Digital Asset Management (DAM)
• Work-Flow Management
• Capture
• Scanning

The goal of ECM is to make the management of a corporation’s information easier through simplifying storage, security, version control, process routing and retention. It has the ability to take unstructured information and make it more easily manageable for the company’s use. The lifecycle of an organization’s content is one of the formalized means of organizing through ECM. It encompasses strategies, methods and new tools for employees in order to manage the life cycle clearly. There are so many processes within a company so ECM’s primary aim is from the initial publication or creation through the archival and disposal. ECM applications are delivered in three ways:

• On-Premise Software
• Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Hybrid Solution: both On-Premise and SaaS

The on-premise software is run straight from the location and directly onsite. This choice is better for larger companies because it is able to better accommodate their needs. However, SaaS is an acronym for Software as a Service or sometimes referred to as “software on demand”. SaaS is a network that is deployed over the internet and is positioned to run behind a firewall on a local area network or a personal computer. Most companies see SaaS as an opportunity because they are able to save money by a pay-as-you-go program to use software rather than purchasing a license for every application on each device. SaaS provides benefits of a license without the complexity and high cost to equip devices with applications that may not be needed. Newly introduced hybrid solutions are being presented that integrates both on-premise and SaaS together. This gives companies the flexibility of tradition on-premise software while giving them the option to outsource their infrastructure if desired. It really is the best of both worlds.

An example is shown below to easily understand the improved efficiency when using ECM.

The example above shows the differences in a simple task with using ECM verses not using ECM. As you can see the process using ECM is much faster and efficient taking the process anywhere from 10-15 days and cutting it down to 5-10 minutes. By implementing this system into an organization the productivity increases greatly just with simple day-to-day tasks, like finding a copy of an old check for a customer. The number of steps in order to complete a task is also cut in half, without using an ECM process it took nearly six steps and that included sending the customer home to wait. With an ECM process the system took three steps while keeping the customer there until the task was completed; quick responses. The noticeable benefits of ECM within any company include:

• Improved Efficiency
• Better Control
• Reduced Costs

Efficiency is always a concept that business owners are hoping to improve. It’s a problem that is always present and companies spend vast amounts of money to search for this “golden answer”. By using ECM companies will see improved efficiency immediately by cutting down process steps, costs and unnecessary tasks. Within an organization the need for control is never going to leave. There are so many processes and procedures within a company that control is vital for the proper implementation of tasks. It is important to know who is signing for what and which customer is asking which questions from a day to day basis. By using ECM this control is under tight wraps and makes it easier for professionals to keep track of each operation within a company.

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is a procedure to make a company more efficient, cost effective and contain control over a business. It specializes in handling the life cycle of documents from creation to disposing. With a little knowledge it is easy to understand how ECM can help a company tremendously.