Why Do I Need Enterprise Content Management?

Most companies understand the fact that they need a strategic enterprises content management software. They have identified the most crucial business challenge – of handling too much paper or unstructured bottlenecks of access, store or trying to process information.

A simple example is the mortgage loan origination file. There is a lot in that file that needs to be kept track of. And if a form goes missing, the hassle has just begin. But managing all this with an ECM software is far easier.

There are several advantages of a content management system in your organization, here we have listed a few of them:

1.       Content is central and can be shared easily: All the important files and documents are located in a central repository, so that it is easily shared, accessible and tracked. The content can be easily shared will all the co-workers, therefore reducing the possibility of getting duplicated content on a daily basis. If you don’t have an ECM, it is quite possible that the content will be spread all across the organization, rather than being centrally located.

2.       Content is precise: Each file or document can be stored to the ECM only once, while a number of changes can be made to the same document, as well kept track of all the editions. This means all the content is consistent and is regularly updated. If an ECM is not being used, then its possible most of the different pieces of documentation are present in different files and each file is updated individually, leading to mistakes.

3.       Content is safe: Only specific people from the organization who have unique IDs access to the content can reach it which makes the latter secure. Different user privileges are given to different users. So, while one user only have access to read the content, the other may be able to change it. Without a CMS system, anyone can change or access the documents, which results can be very risky.

4.       Content processes through shorter editorial cycles: All the editorial related tasks are automated and all the users are informed about their daily updates and tasks. This results in smaller editorial cycles with multiple users being able to work instantaneously across the documents. If an ECM is not present in your company, it results in a review process and inefficient editorial. Also, responsibilities and deadlines are not well-defined and can’t be monitored.

5.       Content that is fresh can be quickly created: Fresh content can be created within minutes. Users can use the old content to alter it a bit and create new content. Without an ECM, content needs to be written from scratch all the time, as the existing content cannot tracked and accessed easily.

6.       Content can be delivered before deadline:  With an ECM, users can create a single-source content. This can be updated once and then used by different media channels, whenever needed. Without an ECM, separate files exist for web, print and PDF versions, thereby meaningfully increasing the time taken to update and publish the content.

7.       Content can be easily translate into different languages: This is known localization and can be done efficiently using an ECM. The concluding allows you to update small number of documents, saving you thousands of dollars. 

So, opting for an ecm software is not only a good idea, but it’s an absolute imperative. Using an ECM can leverage and use your content in a more efficient way, with a centralized content repository, being a necessity for any business.

What is a Data Management System? It’s Function and Purpose

A good data management system (DMS) will normalize the data that is input in your system, create a sole repository for all type of data, govern both the current processes and the generation of the novel data, and most importantly, manage the changes that these methods will bring about in the staff.

Purpose of DMS Systems

Businesses have large amounts of data. A DMS is software tool that makes it possible for the organizations to organize their data.

The standard abbreviation for database management system is DMS, so you will see this more often than the full name. The main purpose of a database management system is to transform and store data into information to make supporting decisions.

A DMS consists of the following main three elements:

The database engine: software that allows to access and modify the content of the database.

Physical database: the collection of the files that contain data.

The database scheme: specification of the logical structure of data stored in the database.

When it sounds rational to have DMS system in place, it is better to think for a moment about the alternative.

What would all that data in the organization look like without DMS solutions? Think yourself as the organization for a moment, all the files on your computer and data. Do you feel it is organized? If you are like normal computer users, you have a lot of files, organized in folders.

You may have presentation files, word documents, spreadsheets, photographs, etc. You find the information that you require based on the folder structure and the name of the file that you have kept. This is called file system and it is typical for individual computer users.

Now think of the challenges that you will come across. Have you ever deleted or lost a file? Have you ever experienced the difficulty of finding a file? Maybe you are using different computers so your files are at different physical locations. And, the most important question you should ask yourself? When was the last time you created a backup for all those files? You do keep backup, right.

So now you probably get the picture. A file system is a simple process, but it works well only if you keep yourself disciplined and organized. Now think of a corporation with around 1000 employees, each with their own computer. Can you see these challenges when using a file system? Do you want your really important financial data roaming around the office on different computers as a normal file? I guess, No!

Functions Of A DMS

So, what does a DMS really do? It organizes your files and important data to give you more control over it.

A DMS system makes it possible for the users to edit, create and update data in database files. Once created, DMS makes it possible to retrieve and store data from those database files.

More specifically, a DMS offers the following functionalities:

•         Security: it has proper security rules to determine access rights of the users.
•       Integrity: database structure and the secure laws improve the honesty of the data
•      Data Descriptions: A data dictionary offers the description of the data. 

Inside an organization, the database development is normally controlled by database administrators, (DBAs) and other specialists. This makes sure that the database structure is reliable and efficient.

Database admins also control the security and access aspects. For example, different people in the organization use the database in different ways. Some employees may only want to view the data and do basic analysis. Other employees maybe actively adding data to the database. This means the database admin needs to set user permissions.

Pros And Cons Of DMS

There are many benefits of using a DMS system.t might take some time in setting up these methods, but once in location, a DMS can make tasks that are tiring a difficult a thing of past.

A DMS reduces inconsistency and redundancy. Have you ever had same versions of one file on your computer? The same thing happens in businesses, a good DMS will lessen redundancy.

A DMS allows different users to access the same file at the same time, each with their own role. Some users only have access to view the data, while some can contribute to it, while others can design or manage it – all at the same time.

A DMS increase reliability and security. Database admins are accountable for controlling access, creating backups of database and making sure that it works in the same way as it is supposed to.

Having one or more specialist work on these tasks is a lot more effective than having every computer user in the organisation worry about the security of their data. A DMS improves the data quality and it is also easy to check any mistakes when entering the data.