Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is the term used to describe the technologies, tools, and methods used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver “content” or “information” across an enterprise or organisation. At the most basic level, ECM tools and strategies allow the management of an organisation’s unstructured information, wherever that information exists. Unstructured information means letters, emails, reports etc as opposed to databases or accounting systems which contain “structured” information.
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Numerous terms are used, but regardless of the precise terminology, ECM capabilities manage traditional content types (images, office documents, graphics, drawings, and print streams) as well as the new electronic objects (web pages and content, email, video, and rich media assets) throughout the lifecycle of that content.
As with any technology, the most important thing is not how you define it or categorise it, but successfully applying the technology to your particular business processes. The technologies included in this Roadmap will enable you to manage your content at the various stages of that content’s lifecycle. Implementing all of these technologies together will allow you to manage content throughout its complete lifecycle - from creation to either long-term preservation or deletion.
However, Enterprise Content Management isn’t about technology. ECM means being able to get control of your business processes. It means improved efficiency and reduced cost. It also means you can satisfy statutory and regulatory compliance requirements and be in effective control of your business. In the end it boils down to improved financial performance and genuine competitive differentiation.
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