Bringing order to chaos, or why it’s worth planning ECM software development

Creating an enterprise content management system that is key to optimising working processes makes a lot of sense. But let us be more specific: How will the solution assist you in achieving business goals?

ECM is an enterprise content management system that encompasses processes related to obtaining, storing, maintaining, organising and delivering meaningful data. It helps to share information between business stakeholders, employees, and customers. Here is a short list of benefits coming with implementing the ECM system: removing dependence on documents and paperwork, driving enhanced customer service, and mitigating organisational risks.

Now that we have an understanding of ECM,let us dwell on its principles of work. 

What makes enterprise content management so helpful for crystalising your business processes?

Besides obtaining more efficient content management, leading to more informed decision-making, ECM systems are known for the prevention of data breaches and financial fraud. It is crucial for the protection of a company’s reputation. Additionally, decreasing paperwork inevitably results in better productivity and efficiency of the workflow.

ECM system helps businesses to be ready and react smoothly to unexpected events, ensuring compliance with corporate regulation and saving all the significant data within one digital ecosystem, containing the following principles:

• Capture (paper documents conversion into digital data, organising all information – research reports, invoices, contracts in a cohesive structure).
• Manage (modifying and employing data via collaborative instruments, records and web-content management).
• Store (establishing a flexible and convenient folder structure, enabling all the stakeholders to view and modify information when needed). 
• Preserve (ensuring full compliance with government regulations and applying backups for changing data). 
• Deliver (providing end-users with data on request).

Electronic content management system and its components

ECM is a complex solution which comprises several functional capabilities, but you may not need all the features to satisfy your business needs. However, here, we will briefly touch upon all necessary ECM elements and components to better understand how the system operates. 

Key elements of enterprise content management system: 

• workflow management, 
• content lifecycle management
• information governance and collaboration instruments
• content management platform and document management solution
• digital asset management

The primary features of ECM are the following: 

1. Automated workflows. With the help of tools for automation, you may support various stages of business processes and maintain the consistency of the content lifecycle. 
2. Enhanced integration. Thanks to the API technology, a perfect ECM interoperates with other corporate portals, such as ERP or CRM. At PNN Soft, we seamlessly integrate cloud-based ECM systems with other cloud solutions for businesses. 
3. Disaster recovery planning tools. The solution enables you to protect content from fire, theft, and even natural disasters. In case of unexpected events, the system ensures that your company’s operations are carried out as per usual. 
4. Document scanning and sharing. First, ECM systems help convert paper documents into digital files. Second, you obtain better collaboration across departments by sharing, managing and mining data. 
5. Better search capabilities. As one of the essential ECM tasks is to provide businesses with higher accessibility of content, PNN Soft experts prioritise implementing full-text search features and various filters for results. 
6. Metadata support. AI engine embedded in your ECM solution is indispensable for tagging and automated metadata support, which gives you better-organised support for multiple companies’ taxonomies. 
7. Managing file versions. Within your platform, you can save various versions of the same document. Alongside that, you may always revert to older file versions. 
8. User accessibility control. Occasionally, it is critical to restrict the accessibility of vulnerable data by applying role-based control instruments. 

What is ECM in terms of its benefits?

• Seamless digital conversion

ECM systems transform traditional documents into digital data that you can manage and share with all stakeholders promptly. 

• Effective search and retrieval

You are free to use handy search tools to find content using various phrases, keywords, or personal details. Searching for files that match your criteria won’t take lots of time. 

• Enhanced team collaboration 

Constant interaction with employees, both in and out of the office, is a foundation of close-knit teamwork. Web-based enterprise automation software solutions will empower your team with email notifications and file routing. 

• Robust security level

A granular security model lets you track which users have opened or edited files. In such a way, the solution allows customers to control access to information and protect their records. 

• Enforced regulatory compliance

Established record retention practices assist enterprises in meeting government regulatory mandates. Thus, you don’t have to deal with compliance concerns on your own. 

• Disaster recovery planning

If you store content digitally, neither fire nor theft can be a hazard for data preservation. And a team of experienced developers, in their turn, will make all possible efforts to prevent cyberattacks.

Six steps of ECM technology implementation

We expect this handy checklist will be helpful during the implementation process. It is an essential step for digital transformation, in which the PNN Soft team will gladly support your company.

• Prioritise the core areas. It’s better not to sidetrack and postpone solving difficulties that don’t have immediate value. Instead, focus on pressing issues first. 
• Share expected results with every department and listen a lot. If you want a new platform to give your company a new lease on life, listen to all stakeholders’ visions and feedback.
• Discuss all project details with your service provider. Creating efficient software development for content management is hard without deciding on a specific infrastructure and functionality set. The PNN Soft team offers IT consultancy on creating an efficient ECM that is perfectly suitable for your business needs and objectives. Feel free to contact our team via the form below. 
• Establish policies for using information — who, when, where, etc. Plus, recommended data lifecycles and ways of discarding them are worth considering.
• Perform tests before launching. It’s time to choose a user group to test the system in a real-world environment. Based on the results, tweak the platform or troubleshoot if needed. 
• Give the system a break-in period. Regular meetings with employees will help you make adjustments promptly. But please remember: implementing any solution requires time. 

Modern ECM software is not confined to content management; it encompasses numerous management and organisational instruments. For instance, this platform enables companies to ingest and classify metadata, which is critical nowadays. Social collaboration tools have enhanced end-users’ flexibility. So we’re thrilled with what the newest ECM systems can do. 

We know how to integrate software solutions into a digital ecosystem

PNN Soft has delivered programming products for 20 years, and we hone our skills to put our ideas into reliable corporate portals. We implemented numerous projects based on enterprise content management systems. In these processes, special attention is paid to security. We are focused on achieving an in-depth understanding of an individual company’s goals and concerns. That is why our clients prefer long-term cooperation. PNN Soft gives priority to Agile, Scrum, and RAD methodologies to interact with clients effectively, satisfy customers’ needs and obtain more flexibility. Our passionate Agile teams include software developers, GUI designers, testers, managers, and technical writers. 

If you plan to create an enterprise content management – ECM system, contact us by filling in the form below.