ECM Simplified: Transform Your Business Operations
As businesses increasingly move towards remote-first operations – with nationally and internationally dispersed multi-disciplinary teams – it is more important than ever that all vital content be available digitally. Effective Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions can help businesses successfully navigate online operations and supports a remote-first, digitally driven workforce while also ensuring compliance and transparency across business activities.
Whether it is legal documentation, website copy, financial accounts, art proofs for upcoming campaigns, or private customer information gleaned from sales, with ECM all this content can be digitally captured, cataloged, and made available to authorized users for collaboration and publication, all within a secure and compliant environment.
What Is ECM?
Enterprise Content Management is a set of defined processes, strategies, and tools that enable businesses to gather, organize, store, and deliver critical information (content) to where it is needed, including employees, stakeholders, and customers.
ECM software is a scalable solution that supports businesses of all sizes in their effort to move their content storage, management, and sharing to a secure and auditable digital environment.
The key functionalities that you can expect from ECM software are:
- Content capture
- Storage and management
- Search and retrieval
- Collaboration and sharing
- Refined user access
- Workflow automation
- Compliance and security
Content Capture
The ECM process starts by capturing content wherever and however it is produced. This includes gathering digital documentation, which could involve storing digital documents, importing emails, and extracting data from business systems to transform unstructured data into organized and manageable digital assets. It also includes integrated scanning and digitization capabilities to convert paper-based documents into digital formats.
Storage and Management
All content captured by an Enterprise Content Management system is stored in a centralized repository, which allows for the optimized use of available storage to save on server space. Consistent security measures can be applied to protect data and protocols such as automated backups can also be established. A business-wide preservation strategy can also be implemented for long-term archiving.
Search and Retrieval
When content is collected, ECM AI features can automatically tag content and structure data to make it easier to search for and associate related content for retrieval. Full-text searches also allow users to find specific documents and references. This saves time as users can quickly find and access data using various search methods, and information is available 24/7.
Collaboration and Sharing
A central document repository allows for seamless content sharing, version tracking, and collaboration using multi-user and real-time collaboration tools. ECM system features such as mobile access ensure that content can be accessed and updated on the go. Standardizing data formatting and storage across the organization can also allow for disparate data sources to be brought together and analyzed to reveal new business insights and enable data-driven decision-making.
Refined User Access
Refined user permissions allow businesses to fully control who can access content based on criteria such as role and location. Authorized users can even access documents directly from printing devices. Access and changes are recorded using an auditable tracking system that allows the business to see when changes were made and by whom, which supports compliance and enhances accountability.
Workflow Automation
Automation of selected tasks such as document routing, approvals, and record retention saves time and minimizes the risk of human error in essential processes. Automatic data capture can also be used to prepopulate routine documents for approval. An ECM solution should also be able to integrate with other enterprise systems such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), email clients, and accounting systems.
Compliance and Security
Centralizing content storage using Enterprise Content Management allows businesses to apply universal data security protocols, such as data encryption, to reduce the risk of data breaches. It also encourages business-wide approaches to data retention that are consistent with industry regulations and legal requirements. These steps are essential to ensure compliance with data protection and privacy laws, record management regulations, and cybersecurity and data breach laws.
What Are the Benefits of ECM?
Implementing an ECM provides multiple benefits to businesses looking to improve content access and security. Here are five of the top benefits of Enterprise Content Management.
- Improved Productivity: Teams can work faster and more efficiently as ECM provides better access to content and digital collaboration tools that are particularly important for remote teams. Automation of tasks such as data tagging and approvals also saves time and reduces errors.
- Provides an Auditable Central Repository: ECM can provide a “single source of truth” when it comes to documentation and decisions, ensuring that users are always accessing the most up-to-date information available. It also ensures that approvals and authorizations are transparent and trackable.
- Reduced Compliance and Regulatory Risks: ECM provides a centralized system where content can be held, disseminated, and stored in a way that meets regulatory requirements and risk management guidelines. It reduces the possibility of an individualized approach to storage and naming considerations by workers and departments that can expose the business to risk.
- Reduced Costs: In addition to improved productivity, ECM reduces business costs by automating previously manual processes, reducing compliance penalties, minimizing storage needs, and reducing the need for hard copies, printing, and postage.
- Data-Driven Decision-Making: Integrating data sources across the business using ECM allows for disparate datasets to be brought together and analyzed, letting business leaders ask complex questions and receive data-driven insights.
Other benefits can include improved customer satisfaction as frontline staff have access to the information needed to resolve issues immediately; improved environmental credentials through the reduction of paper records; better access for remote employees and teams; and increased business uptime as content is available 24/7.
Discover Solutions for Your Business
ECM software solutions can act as a single secure layer to manage your content so that your talent can spend their time on more important things. The right solution can transform your business by streamlining workflows, minimizing risks, and reducing costs.
Contact our Washington offices in Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Tri-Cities, and Spokane, or our Oregon offices in Portland, Bend, Salem, and Eugene to discover personalized and scalable ECM solutions for your business.