Information has long been held as the lifeblood of any organization, and this tenet has become a bit more complex and intense in the past few years, driven by the mass digitization of files and documents around the globe. To be successful in the modern private and public sectors, companies must be thinking outside of the box, working to find ways to optimize the processes associated with information governance and content management for stronger performance.
In many ways, data management has gone from a core procedure that would generally have implications in the long-term, rarely yielding real-time intelligence and decision-making power, to one that is critical at every step of corporate strategic oversight. To ensure that the business is enlivened and enriched by the massive volumes of data entering into the corporate framework, rather than be crushed by it, automation tools and other advanced technologies are highly recommended.
The private sector is moving into a new generation of intelligence, and this can pertain to everything from prospect targeting and marketing to operational performance improvements and analysis, with those firms that are most proactive in their deployments having the most to gain. Content management that can provide storage, retrieval and retention management while also driving the accuracy and efficiency of reporting based on workflow automation can make a big difference in the day-to-day operations of virtually any enterprise, especially when the projects are completed properly.
User-centricity is key
KMWorld recently published the second part of a series on content management in the modern workplace, in which the authors questioned nearly 500 individuals about their needs, goals and current practices. Remember, one of the more fundamentally important aspects of content management strategies is the creation of policies that will fit all of the preferences of end users, as not getting any buy-in from ground-level employees will lead to a lack of success in many instances.
According to the news provider, roughly 60 percent of the respondents stated that standard processes and procedures were the focus of their current content management initiatives, while 58 percent were more bent on optimizing these strategies for individual projects. Just under half affirmed that they need to have access to resources that include tools and templates, while instruction and real-world examples of functionality are similarly important in the eyes of professionals.
This is to say that the tools and solutions used to support staff members in their content management responsibilities should always be a focus of enterprise executives.
Furthermore, the areas in which users prefer content to be stored represented a major point of conversation in the interview. KMWorld pointed out that roughly one-quarter of the respondents are already using customized software for their data storage and content management needs, while this has been part of a larger trend toward highly specialized application deployments that fit the specific demands of a given workplace.
Finally, the source noted that, while the selection of a solution is certainly important, decision-makers will need to focus their efforts on developing a method to centralize access management to enable the smoothest, most integrated and streamlined experience possible for all users.
Where technology, strategy meet
Many individuals might look at technological solutions and strategy as being in a state of perpetual clashing, especially as IT evolves so rapidly and companies must make constant adjustments to keep operations moving along in the right direction. FierceContentManagement recently cited some of the comments written by distinguished Forrester analyst Anjali Yakkundi regarding the ways in which organizations can create synergy between data governance and technological enablement.
"This will be your most difficult challenge: identifying what teams will be responsible for actually delivering the work," Yakkundi explained, according to the source. "Some embed developers within marketing or the business, while others create a technology-management group devoted exclusively to customer-facing initiatives … This shift [in thinking] is challenging, not just because most organizations will have significant skill gaps and changes to current outsourcing models. It's challenging because it will require fundamental transformation of technology-management leadership practices, training, culture, and organizational structures."
This has been yet another trend in the IT management arena, in that the investments companies make in new technologies will almost never reach their fullest potential without some form of staff enablement included in the strategy. From security and productivity to engagement and return on investment, employees must be given the knowledge and tools to succeed using the technologies that are available to them.
At the end of the day, companies that want to streamline content management for optimal performance should seriously consider leveraging automated solutions that will get the job done. Getting these automation software products from a proven, specialized provider can further improve the success of deployments and long-term return on investment, especially when the user is in need of backend support related to configuration and general management.
