A Beginner’s Guide to ECM & CMS
According to IDC iView Report called “The Digital Universe of Opportunities: Rich Data and the Increasing Value of the Internet of Things”, it is estimated that data has been growing at an impressive rate of 40% a year. This development trend is expected to continue into the next decade.” As the data we create and copy annually will reach the 44 trillion gigabytes or 44 zettabytes mark by 2020, organizations need to look for alternatives for the management of exploding data servers, while having the capacity to scale existing platforms.
Data management solutions like Content Management System and Enterprise Content Management are widely known among the technology sector. However, these two terms can often be confusing for a layman who possesses a minimal knowledge of the field. In this article, we have laid out clear differences between the two giants:
Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS)
It is the systematic collection and organization of information that is to be used by a designated audience – business executives, customers, etc. Neither a single technology nor a methodology nor a process, it is a dynamic combination of strategies, methods, and tools used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver information supporting key organizational processes through its entire lifecycle (Source: AIIM)
Content Management System (CMS)
Typically, a Content Management System ‘manages’ ‘content’. When it comes to content, it usually refers to ‘unstructured’ information in any form – Documents (MS Office, PDF, etc.), XML (including its predecessor SGML), Web content (Flash files, HTML, XHTML, DHTML), Digital assets and Records. Nowadays, whenever a web application development company is mentioning of CMS, it is more specifically referring to a Web Content Management System or a WCMS.
CMS and ECM: Similarities and Differences
Here, we take a look at the differences and the similarities between the two systems.
Capture / Create
CMS: Comes with built-in editors and Microsoft Office integration
ECM: Built-in-editors integration with Microsoft Office, paired with integrated imaging or scanning.
Manage
CMS: Editorial or Approval workflows, paired with metadata and Library services management
ECM: Metadata and Library services management, paired with records preservation and disposal
Store
CMS: ‘Live’ environments, staging, and work in progress may preserve copies of the same version.
ECM: Complex storage management consisting de-duplication technologies or single-instance storage plus integration with storage hardware
Preserve
CMS: Snapshots of content and websites
ECM: Long-term digital archiving, preservation, enhanced integration with storage
Deliver
CMS: To the web and mobile devices
ECM: To desktop client, web, other systems and software, to print etc.
As we notice, Content Management System provides features for the management of web content, and an Enterprise Content Management System expands these features into a wider range such as Collaboration, management of Documents, Records, Digital assets, Workflow/Business Process, Web content and Document imaging.
Knowing or having the capacity to comprehend the distinctions and similarities between the two systems is fundamental to decide the right tools for the business or a specific requirement or task.
