So what are the core components of an ECM product set? Well over the years the components have changed, so it is always difficult to get a full definition up front. Based on the various analysts in the market place here is my peg in the ground for ECM core components
Firstly, you need to realise that in this diagram there is a mixture of traditional product features and some supporting services that are supplied by the overall system, such as classification. So let's go through the pieces, some will be very self explanatory so I will not elaborate that much on them as we go through. let's begin:
Records Management - Here we deliver support to the management of both paper and electronic records, areas such as classification and retention and disposal are strong features that need to be delivered. Records management is a big driver, but beware of making it the be all and end all. Any good project should have compliance as a natural outcome to what you are trying to achieve.
Imaging - The capture and storage of paper having transferred the paper into a digital format for long term preservation. The electronic format and storage is perferably in the same repository as the other paper and electronic content from records and document managment but not always the case. You will find imaging is big in the Insurance and Finance sectors by the bucket load and has in the last couple of years had somewhat of a renaissance of sorts as it has been incorporated into a wider ECM play.
Web Content Management - management and control of web site style and content. Traditionally this has been out on its own, but if you look strategically it is just part of a spectrum of contnet that needs to be managed, processes and delivered across the enterprise. Therefore it has now become mainstream in ECM based solutions. Infact if vendor does not have an option here they will not make the quadrant.
Collaboration - Big word. lots of different meanings. Generally collaboration is aligned with portal. The Portal provides the interface to glue together office content and content from other sources such as line of business applications and the wider records and document management repositories. It is all brought together into a collaboration interface. Once again in days gone by we had a Portal market that lived by itself in this area, but now the Portals are also just part of a wider ECM offering.
Classification and Search - A Classification is all about grouping or bringing items together under a common category. An example is in records managemtn where a functional based classification has the hirearchy of Function Activity Task - at the end of the hirearchy folders for containment may or may not be developed. There are many other types of classification that can be built as well, you may hear of classification also called taxonomy. Now Search is well search. In some ECM systems the search is closed into the ECM repository only, meaning that you can only search the scope of contnet in the repository. However more forward thinking and innovative vendors will also offer a search engine that reaches outside of the core ECM repository in to the file system, line of business applications and the web.
Document Managment - The management of electronic documents, can be confused with Imaging for paper to electronic, but at the end of the day is is really about getting those office documents under control and into a repository where we can manage them effectively. Thing secure and relaible storage and access with version control and you are on your way. Yes MOSS 2007 does well here with Office documents.
Print and Distribution - This area covers the Computer Output to Lase Disk (COLD) and enterprise report management (ERM). Generally this is the domain of the top right had quadrant players, but there is also others that are now starting to provide these services on top of a MOSS base, such as ClearView ECM, and Knowledgelake.
Process Managment - covers both workflow (human based with system linkage) and business process managmenet (BPM), which is generally system to system and handles long running buiness processes. These days the two are generally interlinked and workflow tends to handle some form of documents within the overall process that is being managed. This is a area that should be of most interest to you as it is the one area that is the heart of all businesses. See the ECM Model to get a view of what I am trying to get across here
Archival and Storage Management - Archiving denotes the ability to capture and maintain content in a secure and manageable repository for a defined period of time. So retention and dispoal rules generally apply here. Most common forms of archiving around file system archiving and e-mail archiving. Traditional ECM vendors that have come from records and document management have generally had e-mail integration early on, but have in the lst couple of years added e-mail archiving to the mix as demand has driven it. Storage Management denotes the capability to manage storage of the overall respository and to provide soem form of HSM type capabilities. There are not many vendors that can do this other than the software + hardware players such as EMC and HP.
Digital Asset Management - Here we are looking to support the capture, annotation, cataloguing, storage and retrieval of assets, such as digital photographs, animations, videos and music. Digital asset management in ECM is a new thing and while the services to build a DAM system are there they may or may not be realised by the organisation as such. This is one area where specialised solutions are still selling very much like web content management used to.
E-mail management - OK folks, here is the big one. Hands up all those you do not have an e-mail problem. Not too many hands there! Well the big area that is driving is e-mail archiving, but archiving is not records management and the real issue is really around managing the "business transactions" that are flowing through the e-mail systems. Most ECM vendors provide front end integration to Outlook or Notes Mail but rely heavily on the end user for intelligence to get the e-mail into a system. Archiving provides a great vacuum cleaner to capture everything. If there is one area that needs real sorting this is it.
Forms management - Heavily aligned with the process management area you should see this popping up everywhere. There are a lots of e-forms projects on the go with everything from claims process to the basics leave forms. To get value from this area it will be combined with collaboration and the process side. Once again the traditional ECM vendors are pulling the forms into the overall ECM suite.
Well that's all folks, 12 components with a little explaination on each. Good luck out there becuase in the ECM world we all need some.
