Best Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Software
Buyer's Guide
Efficiency is paramount to any business’s success and growth, but it can be hard to achieve. One especially common roadblock in today’s content-driven world is data overload. This can leave employees bogged down and confused, increasing the chance of errors and slowing down productivity.
That’s where enterprise content management software comes in. It takes all your business’ data and organizes it into a single repository, streamlining file retrieval and allowing staff and stakeholders to collaborate with ease. It’s proven to be indispensable, with a global market value projected to reach $117.9 billion by 2027.
This buyer’s guide gives you detailed information on how to select the best solution for your organization. You’ll get a complete lowdown on benefits, features, questions to ask software providers and more.
Executive Summary
- ECM software, a type of CMS software, helps businesses digitize, store, organize and share documents.
- Main features include advanced search, secure collaboration and document management.
- Be sure to ask potential vendors questions about the software before committing to a purchase.
What Is Enterprise Content Management Software?
ECM software is a platform that enables organizations to manage and distribute their content throughout its lifecycle. It’s an umbrella term for the technology used to capture, preserve, categorize, process, publish, edit, archive and remove data.
The system gives you considerable control over important content, preventing information overload. ECM software can manage data of many types, formats and levels of searchability, including both structured and unstructured content.
Its primary goal is to reduce clutter, both digitally and physically. It does this by identifying duplicate and near-duplicate information and eliminates most paper-based tasks. It also organizes all company information in a centralized location. ECM software classifies this information based on metadata. Users granted access can retrieve, read, edit and print documents from anywhere.
With digitized records, the software makes files more secure and easily accessible than hard copies. Users can access information quickly by searching the database and within specific documents using full-text searches and filters for particular words.
Primary Benefits
Now that you have a detailed overview of what ECM software does, let’s discuss how the software could add value to your business.
1. Better Security
ECM software can help you prevent possible data breaches and cyber-attacks and safeguard vulnerable information. Secure all content in a digital repository with adjustable access permissions, document encryption and in-depth user activity tracking. It’s easier to ensure confidential data and sensitive information aren’t exposed due to human error.
You can monitor file creation and deletion, update passwords and restrict access to sensitive information with permissions-based roles.
2. Reduced Costs
Minimize storage and paper needs with a secure digital repository for files, reducing overhead costs. Digital file transfer also saves money spent on printing and shipping documents to clients.
3. Increased Productivity
Organize content and make it easy to locate, saving time and allowing employees to focus on more important tasks. Automatically route files to the right employees and notify them when a document needs attention. Digitizing your filing system means freeing up office space for better use, like more space for employees or new machinery.
4. Improved Information Tracking
Clutter isn’t limited to traditional paper files. 54% of U.S. office professionals said that they waste time searching for much-needed files in cluttered filing systems, both digital and physical.
Shuffling through heaps of duplicate documents or papers filed incorrectly is tiresome, especially when dealing with large quantities of information. ECM software removes this hassle, making files readily accessible.
It also organizes unstructured digital content into digital filing systems. This process eliminates the tedium of combing through different computers, hard drives and inboxes just to find that one important file you’re looking for.
Centralization not only makes it easier to search for files, it also helps keep them secure. You can easily track every interaction with each file, something that isn’t possible with traditional filing systems.
Key Features & Functionality
| Detailed Analytics |
See how your content is performing with detailed insights into audience interaction. Easily modify the data to improve customer experiences. Most ECM software integrates with popular analytics tools, like Google Analytics, making it possible to track KPIs easily. |
|---|---|
| Document Management |
Replace physical filing systems and digitize paper documents. Access, store and edit files from anywhere. Artificial intelligence and machine learning scan and analyze digital records for better organization. Use tools like version control, advanced search functionality and indexing to find the files you need easily. |
| Secure Collaboration |
Sharing sensitive and confidential information online with third parties, colleagues and clients involves major risks. ECM software provides tools like granular access, file encryption and version control to safeguard data, ensuring easy and safe file sharing and collaboration. |
| Advanced Search |
All data in ECM software is stored in a central repository with advanced search capabilities. Primary search classification based on criteria like departments, title, publishing date or words found in the content make it easy to locate and access documents quickly. |
| Publishing Tools |
Publishing tools are the core of any ECM software. You can publish short- and long-form content, add images and videos, and enable content tagging. An ideal solution offers built-in SEO tools that can help you automatically create URLs that work for both the search engines and website visitors. You can also move articles around based on need. For instance, unpublish seasonal content on the website, or modify links as you update content. |
| Automation |
Eliminate manual tasks like photocopying and delivering files by hand. Automatically route documents to the appropriate employees as required. Send notifications to employees when any document requires their approval or needs modification. Save time by recognizing errors in files before working on them. Extract metadata from media assets so users can quickly search for what they want. Detect duplicate content and alert users about it. |
| Integration |
An ideal ECM system actively integrates with existing applications in the company, especially ERP and CRM. Many ECM software programs offer APIs to integrate with web services. You can also integrate your ECM with social media channels, and easily add buttons to any piece of content to make it more shareable. |
| History Tracking |
Access and edit files stored in the company's central repository. Enable real-time tracking and let users view who has made changes to the document and when. The software allows employees to roll back files to previous versions in case unauthorized or incorrect changes are made. |
Software Comparison Strategy
While many ECM solutions have similar features, deciding which program is best for your business can be overwhelming.
Start by considering if the system aligns with your company's requirements and objectives. What are your content management needs? It's also imperative to think about where your current system falls short and how ECM software could help fill the gaps.
When shopping for software, make sure you don’t end up paying for what you don't need. Consider how much of the software suite you’ll actually use and whether it’s worth the investment. You might also want to find a solution that scales well, so you don't have to switch to a new one as your company grows.
Here are some important factors to consider in your software search:
- Ease of use
- Features and functionalities
- Integration with existing software and backend systems
- Customizability
- Security
- Cloud compatibility
- Compliance
- Accessibility
You also want to ensure that, once your software is in place, you’re going to receive post-implementation support if needed. Get a better understanding of this by meeting with technical staff, both internally and through your vendor. Some vendors may also offer a free trial, so you can see how your employees do with the system before committing.
Cost & Pricing Considerations
The cost of ECM systems can vary dramatically. Generally, software with more features is more expensive. It’s like purchasing a car — a modern, luxury car will typically cost more than an older, basic model.
When it comes to ECM software, license fees affect cost the most. These are usually available as subscriptions or perpetual licenses. While a subscription model generally costs less upfront, in the long run, it can turn out to be more expensive than a perpetual license if you keep the software long-term or have to pay per user.
Implementation costs can be steep too, depending on team size and operations. You could hire an external agency, or, if they’re skilled enough, employ your own team to set up the program. Once your software is up and running, you may have ongoing costs related to support and training, maintenance and hosting.
Apart from these, keep a lookout for hidden costs. Also confirm whether or not your vendor offers a cancellation policy and whether the package you choose offers a free trial and after-sales services.
The Best Enterprise Content Management Software
Now that you know what ECM can do, how do you decide which product is best for your needs? Our analysts have curated some of the top ECM solutions on the market. Check out our picks below!
Oracle WebCenter Content
Oracle WebCenter Content is a one-stop solution for organization-wide content. It lets employees easily find the information they need by storing it all in one centralized, searchable repository. The solution has a unified platform for all documents, pictures and media and enables teams to collaborate on files. Users can manage, secure and control data and provide access to the appropriate people.
Document featuring the summary and in-depth details. Source
Nuxeo
Nuxeo is a cloud-based content services solution that enables organizations to manage and quickly access business documents regardless of their formats and sizes. Users can view information stored in the repository from anywhere. Although it's an on-premise solution, it also provides cloud connectivity. It makes it easy to build smart content applications to enhance customer experiences and improve decision-making.
Dashboard showcasing tasks, documents and workspaces. Source
OpenText ECM
OpenText is an information management platform that enables companies to automate tasks, improve collaboration and simplify access to data. Employees can get a 360-degree view of the content from a single interface. The solution offers features like document management, forms recognition, digital asset management and records management. It securely captures, stores, tracks and indexes documents.
Data privacy, security clearance levels and other statistics. Source
Questions To Ask
To get a better understanding of your company's requirements, ask yourself and your employees the following guiding questions:
- What’s our budget?
- What are the key issues we’re facing in our operations?
- What features do we need to address these issues?
- Will our employees need training to use the software?
- How many employees will use the software?
Here are some questions you can ask potential vendors to learn more about the vendor and software:
- What support and training do you offer?
- What company sizes do you typically work with?
- Is this software compatible with our existing system?
- Can you support cloud, on-site and hybrid delivery models?
- What data security services do you offer?
Next Steps
ECM software can improve how your workplace functions by reducing information overload, streamlining data access and optimizing all aspects of the content lifecycle. It can help you gain valuable insight into how your company’s content performs, from production to publication.
Ready to take the next step? Get started today with our comparison report to gain insight into top software leaders.
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