Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is a vital part of today's business environment, responsible for the efficient storage, control, as well as dissemination of enormous data and files. The task is how well we can deal with this content effectively to facilitate decision-making, compliance, and collaboration. Microsoft’s platform SharePoint is a standout character that is evident by its robust features that help in processing ECM.

This blog will talk about SharePoint being the best ECM where you will realize that it has the skills for smooth integration, smooth management, and excellent collaboration. SharePoint is serving as a strategic tool that can easily organize and make the content accessible and secure while aligning with your ECM objectives.

What Is the Meaning of an Enterprise Content Management System?

ECM is so common in information technology conversations that it causes a lot of confusion. Moreover, they are the ones who deal with pure “content management” don’t they?

They do. However, content management is different from ECM. The latter involves the capture and management not only of web content, but also of company documents such as application forms, emails, faxes, invoices, medical records, shipping receipts, and purchase orders.

It is an overarching feature that amalgamates the document management and content management processes into an organized system. Furthermore, it includes techniques for organizing the content.

The SharePoint System of Enterprise Content Management

(ECM is a pattern of systematically organizing and storing a company's data, including documents and other related data, that is pertinent to its processes. Primarily, it embraces the tactics, procedures, data, and instruments that are applied in the entire organization through every department.

The ECM system in SharePoint is an advanced setup that helps to make it easier to register and manage organizational content. Through SharePoint, businesses can amplify such workforce efficiency with all varieties of content, including documents, videos and so on that is thoroughly designated and accessible.

This method is a strategic tool that empowers companies and government departments to meet markets' legal, regulatory, and industry-specific compliance requirements. By automating the process of retention and compliance policies, SharePoint reduces the risks of being non-compliant, as well as the possibility of receiving heavy fines.

# Key Features of SharePoint ECM

• Uniform Labeling System: SharePoint combines presumptive labels for all categories of content into a common vocabulary. This capability enables system-directed tagging through the metadata fields which are pre-assigned. Documents could be titled with the client’s name, subject, and date as well, searching and retrieval process hassle-free with this simple smart method.
• Automated Archiving Policies: With the help of SharePoint, you will set up the archiving rules as well as a task that you won't have to do over and over again. After it is configured, the system starts archiving content based on these rules automatically. For example, it can be based on who created the content or when it has been created/modified.
• Self-Running Version Control: Though version control is just one of the document management features that SharePoint provides, it takes care of the task of tracking and maintaining a history of changes to documents automatically, making sure users can always access the latest version.
• Customizable Workflows for Document Review and Approval: SharePoint gives the possibility to develop your workflows based on your team's software needs which will guide documents to the necessary review and approval stages.
• Advanced Search Capabilities: ECM capabilities of SharePoint are no longer unique to it and are built into many standard content management systems; beyond support of the scalability and sophisticated records management needs of large organizations, it features advanced search features that support all of them. The offer of these capabilities to the users allows them to pinpoint a piece of needed information quickly regardless of the size of the repository and, therefore, dramatically increases the productivity and efficiency of the entire operation.

Is SharePoint the Right Solution for Enterprise Content Management?

Choosing the perfect ECM system is a crucial step for any organization planning to switch to a more centralized approach in content management. SharePoint solution possesses power and popularity among many companies, due to its easy-to-use interface and its high flexibility in customization. Here's a deeper dive into why SharePoint might be the ideal ECM solution for your organization:

• Ease of Use and Adjustment: SharePoint sets itself apart with its user-friendly interface, bringing support to users with different levels of technical skills. The idea behind the platform is user-friendliness, meaning that it was configured with the so-called "point-and-click" principle, which makes it quite easy to use for non-developers. This great ease of use helps to shorten the learning curve so that organization can kick off their ECM system without needing additional training and technical support.
• Scalability: SharePoint's scalability strength is one of its strengths. Whether you have a small business establishment or a multinational company, SharePoint is scalable with your organization. It can manage both 100 and 10,000,000 pieces of content just as well as a more conventional and high-end solution. Such scalability offers the possibility of your ECM system coping with a growing volume of content as your business grows without limiting its functioning.
• Integration Capabilities: SharePoint integrates with other Microsoft products, like Office365, Teams, and OneDrive, and a complete ecosystem for content management is in place. Such a combination makes the process very efficient, as the user does not need to switch between applications or get used to another one. Overall, SharePoint's compatibility with numerous third-party applications is a key point that gives additional value and allows us to fine-tune the system to organizational demands.
• Security and Compliance: SharePoint’s security features that are rich in advanced permissions, data encryption, and data loss prevention that assures safe information. Subsequently, it can facilitate the responses to various standards and regulations throughout the industry, including retention policies, eDiscovery, and audit trails. This holistic approach to security and compliance that SharePoint gives, is thus a very appealing choice for areas with highly strict regulatory requirements.
• Collaboration and Accessibility: The tool utilizes SharePoint which fosters collaboration because it enables the team members to co-work on a single document created by multiple authors even when they are physically removed from each other. Its portability through mobile devices facilitates users being able to access information anywhere and anytime, thus boosting productivity and the ability to work remotely. A platform with social media characteristics, forums, and blogs, becomes an environment for the exchange of knowledge and communication among employees.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Like the whole process of SharePoint setup and configuration may consume some resources at the beginning, all this is paid back by the harmonious integration with existing Microsoft tools and the elimination of the necessity of third-party ones in the future. Furthermore, its user-friendly pattern means that there is no requirement for advanced training which in turn reduces costs.

Advanced Content Management

Handling formal and informal content at a go is an edge SharePoint has on the business front. Here’s why:

# The Application of Formal and Informal Content

While SharePoint has been traditionally used for document handling, its content management capabilities now go beyond these boundaries even accommodating blogs and social content. This flexibility is in high demand for entities that publish both formal products like reports and policy documents as well as informal content such as blog posts and announcements. With its end-to-end management of disparate content formats, SharePoint provides certainty that all types of information whether organized or informal is kept, accessible, or manageable within the system.

# Blog Management Made Easy

For organizations that use blogs as an integral part of their internal communication strategy or marketing outside their networks, SharePoint provides features that simplify the creation, publication, and management of blog posts. Users can easily draft, revise, and post regularly and thus foster an applicable and interactive surrounding. The platform developed has an easy-to-handle interface that allows the integration of multimedia, adding value and appeal to the content.

# Collaboration and Content Sharing

Content management with SharePoint's collaborative capabilities should be a real differentiator. These teams can have remote collaboration on documents and blog posts in real time, with the changes being tracked and synchronized by the platform. Such a collaborative environment helps not only to accelerate the creation of the content but also the output is of the best quality, as the team can benefit from the collective experience, hence the final product.

# Streamlining Content Workflow

The ability to create customizable workflows is another standout feature of SharePoint. Whether it's formal documents requiring rigorous review and approval processes or informal blog posts needing a quick check before publication, SharePoint's workflow capabilities ensure that every piece of content goes through the necessary checks and balances. This automation of content workflow not only saves time but also enforces consistency and compliance across all types of content.

SharePoint is an excellent solution for many companies because while some customization may be necessary, it can be simple for non-developers to point and click their way through implementation.

Call us at 484-892-5713 or Contact Us today to know more details about Enterprise Content Management System: putting it together with SharePoint.