ECM Briefs

• Open Text Targeted User Productivity With a New Mobile Strategy.
• Debra Lavoy discussed the differences between three types of collaboration: creative, connective, and compounding.
• We held a webinar providing an overview and roadmap of the Open Text Suite for SAP Solutions.
• Joyce Hostyn talked about visualizing customer experience by using customer experience journey maps.
• Attendees learned how to implement Office 2007 and migrate to a matter-centric environment all at once in Monday's webinar.
• From Wednesday to Friday, we were at IACCM 2010 in Orlando exhibiting VIM for SAP Solutions and Open Text Contract Management.
• Kim Edwards wrote about how her use of her mobile has become more of a reflex.
• Adam Howatson talked about how productivity is on the move with the advances in mobility.
• We held a webinar where attendees learned the issues around the adoption of Enterprise 2.0.
• Our newest blogger, Lubor Ptacek shares his thoughts on the new era of mobile applications.

• We were in Orlando this week for Financials 2010 exhibiting ECM Solutions for SAP Applications.
• Attendees learned how to upgrade to Web Solutions 10 in a webinar earlier this week.
• Adam Howatson talked about the evolution of Mobile Devices, Sensors and Enterprise Content.
• A new Open Text Conversations post by Janet Luisser found a connection between metadata and Jack Bower.
• Joyce Hostyn shared her thoughts on how designing with the social brain in mind can be beneficial.
• On Thursday, we held Open Text Web Solutions Group Workshops across Europe.
• Attendees of Thursday's webinar learned how to proactively manage their contracts with Open Text Contract Management.
• A guest post by Randy Baird is about getting the real business value from Enterprise Content Management.

Guest post by Randy Baird

The general definition of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) applies to those technology-enablers used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver information assets in context with content-rich business processes. When asked how to best achieve ECM success, my response is that success is dependent upon the value realized from the technology-enabled business process. With all of the options faced by today's buyers and all of the pressure to do more with ever smaller IT budgets, customers are looking for methods and practices to maximize business value from their technology choices.

So where do you start?
ECM should not be looked upon as some isolated entity but an interconnected ecosystem of content-rich business processes and systems. Because of the size, complexity, and scope of an ECM ecosystem, a question often asked by those tasked with the responsibility of developing a more comprehensive ECM strategy is "Where do I start?" One place to start is to assess the current state of your organization's content management practices and/or program by considering the following key questions:

1. Has a clear content management vision and strategy been established and aligned with the organization's business imperatives and processes?
2. Has the organization established appropriate information governance structures to support, sustain, and evolve the content management ecosystem?
3. How aware is the organization that unstructured content is a strategic corporate asset requiring stewardship?
4. Have clear benchmarks or key value indicators been established to measure success?
5. Has a clear set of software tools and hardware standards been established to support the content-enabled business processes?

These questions provide a starting point from which to evaluate your current state of ECM readiness. With these questions in mind, realizing business value from your ECM ecosystem requires a holistic approach that balances technology choices with equally important strategic, organizational, and governance dimensions to ensure effective end-user adoption. Without end-user adoption, it could be argued that success is not possible.

This week I discuss this issue further in this podcast. You can also get a head start on your ECM exploration by taking this ECM Maturity Assessment and watching this video. You'll be well on your way to realizing the true business value to ECM program.

• We mentioned how Open Text Delivers Extensible, Simple-to-Deploy Fax Over Internet Solution.
• We announced news on Open Text Investing $225 Million in Ontario for Product Innovation, Jobs in Waterloo, Richmond Hill and Ottawa.
• Joyce Hostyn blogged about Why riddles don't work - the riddle of experience vs memory.
• We held a webinar where attendees had the chance to Embrace Enterprise 2.0 with a Social Portal.
• Martin Sumner-Smith's most recent post talked about finding a push rather than pull social networking technology - Predicting Sentiment in Advance.
• Deb Lavoy laid out the steps to "connecting-the-dots" and forming a complete picture from a diverse set of information.
• Attendees were informed of how SAP and Open Text enabled Holcim Canada to optimize their Accounts Payable Process in this webinar.
• We encourage those interested to join our SAP eCommunity to receive the latest news, share expertise, get tips and tricks, and much more.
• Joyce Hostyn writes in perspective of Complexity as opportunity - designing in hostile territory.