Cloud Computing and Enterprise Content Management (ECM)

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is defined as a system solution to capture, manage, store, preserve and deliver content and documents to support the business processes.
The forms are very diverse – ranging from simple systems like receipts for payments to complex applications with files and mailbox functions that play a leading role in the execution of business processes. Intriguing question is how Cloud Computing based ECM solutions offers to manage the business. From the past 20 years of content management perspective, we can divide the steps to the following phases.

First Pioneer phase with no Cloud Computing

This is the time when the software developers used Cobol, scanning and archiving paper were almost revolutionary, the applications and data stores were around few byte. This prospect was initially visionary. The underlying technology was made including scanners. The typical use was the filing insurance. Leading suppliers at that time were IBM and FileNet. These providers offered solutions, consisting of specific and coordinated hardware and software products that enabled the capture, archiving and retrieval of paper documents.

Second Monolithic Phase with no Cloud Computing

The dependence of these specific hardware components decreased in the following years and the rapid decline in prices of the required basic systems like network cards, storage and monitors; which led to a rapid spread of ECM systems. Even if the purpose was often to archive, it positioned itself in the market – many software vendors whose standard products covering wide requirements and have been positioned as a suite. Typically, these products were of client server Architectures and brought a broad functional spectrum from scanning through databases. It was quite common to face proprietary data formats . Manufacturers were often able to place their products in the core business processes.

Third Integration phase with Cloud Computing

Dedicated hardware with the exception of scanners no longer needed. Web technologies and SOA architectures have ensured that the management and context-sensitive delivery of documents no longer remained a task of a single product or a suite, but as a solution. This specific solution is based on the user’s needs and less on functional volumes or limitations of a standard addition to its extensive product suites, have established a number of niche products.

Conclusion on the role of Cloud Computing for Enterprise Content Management (ECM)

The idea of ??the cloud computing is simple and only a logical continuation of the division of labor in some parts of your work tasks and leave them there and make of them, ensuring high quality at lower cost.

Well, let us be honest, the basic idea and its motivation is not new – IT Outsourcing is a living practice for years.
A key feature of cloud computing based solutions is a use-oriented, variable pricing model. The opportunities for cost reduction in operation are quantitatively again significantly higher than in conventional outsourcing, primarily due to a simple economy of scale of the provider. This reduction ultimately leads to the fact that a company can even take advantage of services that would be in conventional operation because of the high base cost of licenses and / or technologies are not economically feasible.

This article, Cloud Computing and Enterprise Content Management is written by Jose L. Gaona.