Over the last few years, Enterprise Content Management (ECM) has been one of the fastest growing areas of IT, outstripping traditional enterprise applications with its double-digit growth.
The number of ECM installations has increased, as an ‘avalanche’, at a rate almost as high as has formerly happened with ERP’s. The difference being that ERP is managing ‘structured’ data information, while ECM applications takes over and handle ‘structured’ and ‘unstructured’ information simultaneously.
Unstructured information includes, hard copy letter correspondence, e-mails, reports, contracts,images, hand written documents, etc, as opposed to ERP systems containing only “structured” information.
Considering the fact, that 80% of information circulating in a business has evolved to be unstructuredand that its annual growth rate is between 65% and 200%, it is easy to appreciate the need to manage this environment, under such explosive growth.
