Enterprise Content Management: The Future of Networking

Document management is arguably one of the most important aspects of an enterprise content management system. The earliest document management systems were developed to manage proprietary file types or a limited number of file formats. Today, document management systems have grown to encompass electronic documents, collaboration tools, security, and auditing capabilities. ECM has been defined as the strategies, methods and tools used to manage, store, preserve and deliver content and documents related to organizational processes. ECM tools and strategies allow the management of an organization’s unstructured information, wherever that information exists. There are several benefits to having a quality document management system as part of a powerful enterprise content management system.

• The digital centralized location of the files enables people to obtain files and information without entering a file room or shuffling through a messy filing cabinet.
• ECM systems typically use a database to store metadata and administrators can authorize access to authorized personnel.
• Document management platforms have different ways of creating documents as well as a simple yet inclusive workflow design. Documents can easily be passed from one person to another. This is very useful when multiple people need to collaborate on a project.

Not only can enterprise content management systems simplify projects and make communication between people much easier, they also reduce paperwork. With the development of these platforms, companies are approaching a paperless office. Proponents of enterprise content management have argued that paperless services are faster, cheaper, more efficient, and more environment-friendly. Society has almost reached the point where computer files are out of date. Endless folders on one’s desktop contain thousands of files which one has to sort through to find needed information. Sharing files on a web workspace will eventually replace storing them on the computer’s hard drive. In addition, a large, powerful database in another location stores files for a company for any authorized user to access without having to hunt down the actual file and the computer which contains the file. The future is unfolding before our eyes. More and more companies are adapting ECM as a way to connect and network among their employees.

Tags: Document management, enterprise content management, ECM

How Enterprise Content Management Can Improve Your Business

In a business, information within the company is a powerful tool. If someone has a piece of information but cannot transfer it to others in the company, the information is not as useful as it could be if it was widespread and easy to access. For example, if you have a document with sales information but have to spend half the day getting this information to the right people in the sales department, the company would not be operating very efficiently. The way companies have remedied this is by taking full advantage of the internet and using Enterprise Content Management systems. Using these systems, an administrator can make certain information available to everyone, or just specific people, with the click of a button and a simple file upload. ECM has also enabled businesses to chat in real time about current projects. Instead of waiting for an e-mail to come through, the information can be instantaneously transferred without saying a word or sending an e-mail. It is almost as though the company is in a big meeting all day; everyone sits at a long table and discusses their project while each person does his or her work on the computer. ECM can provide all the communication without being in the same room as hundreds of other employees at the same time.

Enterprise Content Management systems should have two main qualities: functionality and simplicity. Not everyone in an office will be as technically proficient as others, yet a business still wants many features as part of their Enterprise Content Management. One main feature that businesses look for in their ECM is Workflow management. This software can help you save time by automating routines and subroutines that you would otherwise spend a lot of time on, such as data entry and e-mail filtering. In addition, workflow software can be configured to process data entry so it runs in the background. The term workflow is used in general to describe the tasks, procedural steps, organizations or people involved, required input and output information, and tools needed for each step in a business process. These steps are clearly outlined so the program can tell you when you are done with a project and what you have left to do.

So next time you are shuffling through a multitude of files, it may be a good idea to look into Enterprise Content Management. Your employee morale along with project efficiency can greatly increase!

Empower Your User Group!

Empower your User Group to share what they know, learn what they want, and provide access to information to meet their needs.

em•pow•er
Pronunciation: \im-ˈpau̇(-ə)r\
Function: transitive verb
1 : to give official authority or legal power to
2 : ENABLE 1a
3 : to promote the self-actualization or influence of

The purpose of our group is to provide and promote best practices to Hampton Roads Laserfiche Users so that we can more efficiently and effectively meet the needs of our customers.

User Groups have become the rage with ECM, and thank goodness! What an invaluable resource for learning more about this information technology specialty, keeping up with your network (‘cause there’s never enough time!) and maybe even offering some of your time and talent to provide leadership for your group.

Public and private agencies are hungry for easy to implement initiatives with enterprise content management, easy fixes to everyday problems and practical knowledge and experience about the different ECM applications. You can find these ideas and more in your User Group.

Empower your User Group to share what they know, learn what they want, and provide enterprise content management access information and resources to meet their needs.

Some of the ways in which the Hampton Roads User Group is empowered include:

• All presentations are provided based on member input and requests. We (the group leaders and our VAR) develop and deliver what the members ask for.
• Members can keep their contact information current, and post or join in the newly established Discussion Board.
• Current leadership welcomes members who are interested in expanding their role to become a group leader. All User Groups require some degree of coordination, communication and overall support.

This approach – empowering the users – has made this group’s experience meaningful and fun for the members, the group leadership and the VAR.

Remember – It’s YOUR User Group!!

Tags: ECM, enterprise content management.

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Run Smarter Winners Collin County, TX, RMS and LaPorte County, IN, Featured in ebizQ Podcasts

While they were at the 2010 Laserfiche Institute Conference, 2009 Run Smarter Winners Collin County TX, RMS and LaPorte County, IN, were all interviewed for ebizQ podcasts. You won’t want to miss what our award winners have to say about how Laserfiche Enterprise Content Managementhas helped them succeed!

Collin County, TX, CIO Caren Skipworth and Records Manager Margaret Anderson discuss the issues facing CIOs today, how they implemented Laserfiche and how it helped them, and more on how they trained County employees using AKDAR, a change management model Skipworth mentioned in her keynote, “The Three Laws of Agile ECM.”

Interested in learning more about Collin County and their Enterprise content solutions? Download the enterprise government case study explaining their installation and learn about how Collin County uses Laserfiche to transparently manage records and improve IT governance for the entire county.

RMS, our Run Smarter Winner for the Commercial Category, explains how employing Laserfiche on the machine shop floor has improved their business processes. Using Laserfiche Enterprise content software, RMS cut order processing time from 8-10 weeks down to just 72 hours. Michael Eklund, IS Coordinator for RMS, shares how Laserfiche BPM has saved the company critical time and costs.

LaPorte County, IN, our Justice Systems-Courts Winner for the 2009 Run Smarter Awards, was also interviewed for a podcast. Stephen T. Eyrick, Chief Probation Officer for the county, discussed how Laserfiche has helped the county’s court system cut down on costs in this tough economy.

How Will ECM Benefit Your Business?

ECM delivers virtually all the functionality of the standard, installed Laserfiche interface, Web Access allows for consolidated management of resources and data, as well as remote or portable access.

Centralize Resource and Data Management

IT staff manages software and hardware centrally, without the need to deploy and support software on each individual point of access. Administrators and business owners manage documents and unstructured information through a full enterprise content management system, while maintaining the ability to collaborate across sites, business units, and platforms. Information and knowledge workers access the information they need through an Internet browser, even on a mobile device.

Part of a Broader ECM Solution

Other modules are or can be combined with Web Access to provide complete enterprise content management solutions, including document imaging (Web Scanning), business process management (Laserfiche Workflow, Quick Fields, and Agenda Manager), regulatory compliance and tracking (Laserfiche Audit Trail), and records retention (Laserfiche Records Management Edition). In addition, Web Access integrates with Microsoft SharePoint to provide a robust document management component to an organization’s SharePoint platform.

Tags: ECM, enterprise content management

Web-Based Enterprise Content Management

ENTERPRISE STRATEGY MEETS DEPARTMENTAL FLEXIBILITY

Enterprise content management (ECM): ECM products and systems, capture, process, store, archive and supply information in a systemized and controlled manner. Enterprise content management accelerates organizations to better manage their information and standardize business processes.

CENTRALIZED RESOURCES AND DATA MANAGEMENT

IT staff manages software and hardware centrally, without the need to deploy and support software on each individual point of access. Administrators and business owners manage documents and unstructured information through a full ECM system, while maintaining the ability to collaborate across sites, business units, and platforms. Information and knowledge workers access the information they need through an Internet browser, even on a mobile device.

PART OF A BROADER ECM SOLUTION

Other modules are or can be combined with Web Access to provide complete enterprise information management solutions, including document imaging (Web Scanning), business process management, regulatory compliance and tracking. In addition, Web Access integrates with Microsoft SharePoint to provide a robust document management component to an organization’s SharePoint platform.

ENTERPRISE CONTENT MANAGEMENT

Enterprise Content Management comprises strategies to manage and correlate documents pertaining to work within an organization.

In today’s information age, the success and failure of an enterprise is dictated primarily by two factors – the rate of influx of data into an enterprise database and the continuous task of interpreting and evaluating this data into blocks or sets of logical information. This information serves as input for strategic planning objectives.

In a hierarchical setup within the organization, information is collected at the lowest managerial levels and collated in data warehouses. As unstructured content is checked in and out of a system, each use can add to the content's profile. Raw data is filtered and analyzed within the warehouse and converted to information. As the ECM system ‘learns’ this method of filtering, it grows more intuitive, which assists in making better decisions, determining the relevance of information and documents.

For example, in order to improve efficiency while still adhering to Federal Laws and guidelines, a university may turn to implement Enterprise Content Management. ECM is used to bring together all information being processed in business transactions. This solution helps in accelerating the exchange and flow of information, without adding to redundancy of data and unnecessary repetitions. Thus, efficiency is improved and staff impact is minimized, leading to improving in productivity and obviously cutting down on costs.

The Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) defines the process of Enterprise Content Management in 5 important tasks or steps:

• Collect: Collect all transaction data.
• Manage: Process the data and interpret as per needs.
• Store: Transient and in-processing information is stored.
• Preserve: Storage of valuable and required information.
• Deliver: Provide end users with analyzed data and forecast needs.

It may be difficult to accurately point to a single, major contribution of ECM implementation. But the signs are everywhere to be seen, in little improvements and positive steps. The reason is that most benefits of ECM are not directly quantifiable, although they bring about situations of great quantifiable benefit.

In the modern climate of competition, it is not enough to maintain and hold extensive databases. The content must be managed, analyzed and correlated with other data to predict patterns. These are essential to fulfill most business goals.