AIIM’s CEO John Mancini explains why Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is preparing for a new age.
Consumerization, cloud, mobile, and the Internet of Things (IoT) have all arrived at breakneck speed, signalling up the end of ECM as we know it — as organizations battle to cope with content overload in the triad that is made up of people, process, and technology. This gargantuan growth in Big Data will see a metamorphosis of ECM to cope with the new landscape that is being driven by connected devices. AIIM’s recent (Q2 2015) ECM Decisions Industry Watch revealed that in some ways, ECM is still alive and well. In more than two-thirds of organizations surveyed, ECC/DM (enterprise content collaboration/document management) is still seen as mission critical. In addition, 75 percent of organizations see ECM/RM (records management) as a key part of their information security strategy. But in the wake of mobile, analytics, cloud and collaborative technologies, organizations are beginning to view ECM in a very different way.
Of course there are still organizations that benefit from the more traditional ECM solutions that automate document-intensive processes. But the huge amount of data existing outside these structured processes, along with the dramatic change in the how, when and where knowledge workers do their jobs is having a dramatic impact on the technological vista. Even among the current users of ECM technology, 52 percent believe that within the next five years, ECM systems will be an undifferentiated part of the IT infrastructure as a whole.
Back in 2004, the main reasons organizations deployed ECM were down to cutting costs and efficiency. Those reasons have not changed. But more recently, compliance and risk challenges have been added to the list. We’ve also seen customer service replaced by collaboration, as a primary focus, undeterred by the hurdles of rapid response and multi-channel input.
The IoT Revolution
Our “always connected” world is set to see a boom in the IoT space. The global market for IoT is forecast to grow to $1.7 trillion in 2020 — up from $655.8 billion in 2014, according to market research company IDC, as we see the release of more devices, platforms and services. IDC predicts that the number of connected devices will grow from 10.3 million in 2014 to more than 29.5 million in 2020. The IoT revolution has taken hold far faster than many expected and will create even more turmoil for enterprises who are already trying to fight back a tidal wave of data.
From our survey we can clearly see that ECM is firmly embedded in the enterprise. Whilst looking after mission-critical needs, it still has room for growth into other fields of functionality. Over half of respondents said they still have a single enterprise-wide system as their goal, notwithstanding the number of ECM/DM/RM systems they currently support. The remainder said they want to hook up their content and enterprise systems to create a single point of access for search and lifecycle management. Consolidating social platforms, capture systems, and records management within the ECM suite is an engaging option to explore.
The “MACC Stack”
In light of this, one cannot get away from the fact that a remodelling of the technological landscape is under way, driven by mobile, analytics, cloud and collaborative technologies — or what is known as the “MACC stack.” This is forcing enterprises to look at how ECM fits into their roadmap. These changes include approaches to take on privacy and security, pervasive connectivity, increased regulation of cloud by governments, debate on the new nature of cloud risk, enhanced virtual and distributed work modes and a bottom up take on innovation. Not to mention a drought of IT ‘connective’ and analytical skills that needs to be addressed. The net impact of all of this on ECM will be significant.
There is no avoiding the fact that ECM does not come easy, it can be a challenge to any enterprise. Although 29 percent of organizations with an ECM solution are planning or currently deploying mobile access, only 39 percent currently provide mobile access of any sort. The majority of mobile functionality is restricted to search and view access, and this can be through the browser rather than a dedicated app, limiting offline capability. 55 percent of respondents have no app-based capability.
Basically this translates into usability issues for many ECM systems and “shadow IT” content solutions. Over 60 percent of those with ECM systems say they have usability challenges. In addition, 62 percent confirmed that file shares continue play an important part in their organization. Only 30 percent have integrated multi-channel inbound capture. Over 60 percent of organizations said they don’t have any link between their ERP (enterprise resource planning)/finance and ECM/RM systems.
People, Process And Technology
This brings us back to people, process and technology. Here content management is where technology has received the attention. When analyzing ECM deployments that have been a success against ones that have failed, a common thread in those that realize their goals is an understanding that “ECM” isn’t about technology per se. It is about people and process connecting with technology. This is something we need to gain a far stronger understanding of in the content management arena, particularly in the age of consumer technology.
The score on the door is that enterprises still need their content managed. But the term “ECM,” which has done for so long what it said on the tin, no-longer adequately describes what this exciting era of technology is bringing. Coupled to this, enterprises need guidance in best practice to handle the disruption that is happening as a result.
Change, however, should be seen as positive. Best practices in this emerging age of IoT have not been written yet. This is the task in hand for AIIM and others in the industry over the coming months. Dissecting the issues in practical terms so that they can be easily understood and put into play by business to extract maximum benefits.
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