ECM: Learn more about Enterprise Content Management

ECM is an acronym that stands for Enterprise Content Management. It is the dynamic combination of document management strategies, methods, and tools used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver an enterprise’s information.

This is the definition of ECM provided by AIIM – Association for Intelligent Information Management.

In this sense, this tool handles managing all the company’s content. Thus, it does not address only papers, but e-mails, videos, images, text messages, social media content, and documents in Word format or Excel spreadsheets, for example.

In fact, you could say that ECM manages all the content that supports key organizational processes throughout the entire life cycle of a company.

Broadly speaking, the phases of ECM consist of:

• Capture: getting the information from the various media and the means to which they are made available (ERP, CRM, dead file, social network, etc);
• Management: is the next phase, responsible for keeping the information organized and connected to the processes;
• Storage: ensuring that information is stored in an appropriate medium, either through a system or other technologies;
• Preservation: is the long-term care, such as archiving, consisting of the practice of protecting the content pieces so that they are available and can be used by the organization at any time in the future;
• Delivery: ensuring that information is delivered to the right audience, via the right device, at the right time.

Now that you understand what the acronym ECM means and the phases it consists of, it is important to understand a very important feature. Enterprise Content Management enables company documents and processes to become paperless.

With that, it provides cost reduction, adding intelligence to strategic data. In fact, it makes management faster, more effective, and more assertive.

But the question remains, why should you adopt an ECM solution? What are the reasons that really justify using ECM software?

What are the benefits for a company that adopts an ECM?

There are many benefits to a company that adopts an ECM. After all, it is considered a competitive differential, as it allows you to manage data effectively. Check out the main benefits that such system provides to your company:

• Agility in the process: Possibility of capturing any type of content, storing it securely and making it available during the entire process. Independent of time and place of access;
• Space Saving: Effectively organizes any amount of information;
• Fast Retrieval: Allows you to search and find information quickly. Since there is precision in the location, there is no need to spend time to organize them previously;
• Security Assurance: ECM solutions provide their users with flexible control over documents. Thus, there are security controls on folders or individual documents.
• Versioning Control: Functionality that allows the control of document versions, guaranteeing that the user has access to the updated document. In addition, it keeps a registered history, and ensures that changes are always made from the last validated version.
• Information Sharing: Facilitates activities that involve collaboration between people and teams.
• Integration: Integrates several areas of a company, as well as customers and suppliers. Moreover, this integration happens in real time.
• Cost Reduction: Generates savings with paper acquisition, since the expenses with paper printing will be reduced. In this sense, there is also a reduction in spending on physical assets.
• Productivity: It generates time optimization and agility in the execution of processes by allowing quick access to a document.

Do I need ECM?

What has been talked about so far may seem a bit theoretical and you may still be asking yourself “Is ECM for my company”?

The simplest answer would be: whether your company is large or small, once Enterprise Content Management is implemented, you will realize that the tool is something vital to your strategy.

However, for an ECM software to be well implemented, you need to choose the right tool. Considering, especially, that it is a user-friendly solution that is easily customized to your business and its needs.

In this sense, Fusion Platform provides all the benefits pointed out and even more. With Fusion, you have the freedom to configure the analyses and reports to better meet your needs. Thus, it provides accurate information capable of leveraging your results.

Therefore, by clicking this link you have direct contact with one of our consultants, and can clear up any doubts, including those about ECM.