Enterprise content management systems ( ECM-systems) are types of software technologies that are widely applicable in the management, storage, acquisition and protection of unstructured information that is directly related to the management of business processes in any organization.
Some confuse ECM-systems and systems of electronic document management ( SED).The confusion between these definitions is due to the fact that very often the ERMS except for the enterprise document management modules includes some ECM capabilities. As, for example, interaction of employees on preparation of documents. In this situation, it is possible to discuss the extension of the functional to the ECM-system.
The main difference of ECM-system from SED is that in addition to maintaining electronic document circulation of the enterprise, ECM-systems create a single information space for all users of the organization, as well as provide automation of business processes.
Thanks to the use of ECM-systems, labor resources are optimized, and the operating costs of the enterprise are significantly reduced.
Typically, ECM-systems include the following subsections( modules), each of which integrates with the rest of the subsections, and can also exist separately.
Below are some of them:
- The electronic document management module of the enterprise;
- The module for supporting business processes;
- Web-content management module of corporate site or portal,
- Content management module;
- Knowledge Management Module;
- The module for controlling access to content, providing the necessary information regardless of time and place.
Each of the subsections requires certain skills. For example, the management of Web content of a corporate site or portal requires specific knowledge of the administration of Internet resources, and the electronic document management module of the enterprise specifies the internal movement of documents.
ECM-systems combine the content of documents and management aspects of the enterprise, forming a single environment for document management, and reduces the number of work processes for the implementation of business tasks. Thus, corporate content becomes available to those users who need it for fast and high-quality work execution.