Posted by Mark Brousseau
As organizations become increasingly decentralized, 2011 will see enterprises identifying technology suppliers that can integrate effectively with other — often competing — solutions, according to new research released by analyst firm Real Story Group (formerly CMS Watch).
"Going into 2011, our research customers are indicating an unprecedented aversion to vendor lock-in," said Real Story Group President and Principal Analyst, Tony Byrne. "In the real world, enterprises have to support multiple devices, multiple internal portals, multiple web delivery channels, underutilized SharePoint deployments, and the lingering primacy of e-mail as a corporate information management platform — so vendors will have to adapt."
Real Story Group provided 12 other technology predictions for 2011:
1. "Bring Your Own Device" policies will push HTML5 adoption for mobile access to enterprise applications
2. Content-rich customers will rebel against Web CMS marketing spins
3. Microsoft will turn to partners to fix SharePoint shortcomings
4. The top end of the Web CMS market will be redefined
5. Intranet community managers will adopt public social functionality
6. SaaS vendors will try to separate from "The Cloud"
7. Buyers will have a greater acceptance of newer standards
8. Case Management will become the leading application from high-end ECM vendors
9. Digital Asset Management vendors will greatly expand video management capabilities
10. E-mail will remain the world's de-facto enterprise document repository and workflow system
11. Portal software will increasingly produce services for other portals
12. Specialized talent around managing content will begin to migrate out of large corporations
What do you think?
Showing posts with label e-mail archiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label e-mail archiving. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
5 IT Spending Tips
Posted by Mark Brousseau
With the new (budget) year upon us, Siamak Farah, CEO of InfoStreet (www.infostreet.com), offers his top 5 tips for getting a jump on IT spending for 2010:
1. The OS Is Irrelevant!
As the battle of operating systems (OS) wages on between Apple and Microsoft, many businesses feel caught in the middle, unclear of which system to choose. Once a side has been chosen, there is still the ever-present (and recurring) dilemma over which version to choose – not to mention the potential nightmare of migration! (e.g., Should we migrate from XP to Windows 7; What pitfalls, if any, might we encounter?, etc...). Consider, instead, going OS neutral. With the growing popularity of Web-delivered software (also referred to as Software as a Service – or SaaS), companies can relieve themselves of a tremendous headache by relying on experts who deliver always-up-to-date applications via a simple Web browser. This path allows employers to avoid worries over software updates, PLUS, you have the added benefit of being able to “take your desktop with you” (as you can login to your desktop from any computer in the world with a browser and Web access).
2. Ditch the Servers
Perhaps the most significant line item of any IT budget is the costs of hardware (servers); And the hidden cost associated with this occurs when the IT department is pressured to estimate the right size. Assuming a large growth path, many servers must be ordered in advanced to be ready to support the growth. Should downsizing be in the cards, then one needs to plan on decommissioning servers which are hard to dispose of, as they often are worth a fraction of their purchase price. SaaS takes the guesswork out of your budget. In the same fashion that one does not think about the cell phone infrastructure and just orders or decommissions cell phones based on the number of employees, IT managers, can always have the right amount of server power and be poised for growth with SaaS providers.
3. Give Your Employees a (Virtual) Key to the Office
The average American now works longer hours than even our overseas counterparts. If your company makes use of next-generation SaaS tools, your employees can have ANYTIME/ANYWHERE access to their desktop, allowing them to work remotely and during off-hours if that is what is necessary to get the job done. We’ve found that by making remote access to ALL aspects of the work environment easy for our employees, they have become infinitely more efficient – many log-in to check for urgent issues before starting their morning commute and check-in again in the evening – from home. This type of employee dedication can help propel a company from being just a player in their industry to being THE PLAYER.
4. To Thy Own Client Be True
Okay, perhaps that isn’t how the saying actually goes however the sentiment is valid. In this day of aggressive competition, it’s important to use every tool and advantage you can afford to keep in touch with your clients (and have a reliable means for including personal details and generating automated follow-up reminders). CRM (customer relationship management) software is not new, however the leaders in this industry charge more than a pretty penny for their tools. Consider one of the “optimally-sized” versions (such as StreetSmart's Web-based CRM) that can be literally a fraction the cost and which offer the core functionality you need. Don’t be left without such a valuable tool just because you’ve heard CRM software can be too price prohibitive.
5. Automate Your Protection
Every industry has its own set of compliance rules and best business practices. However, many companies overlook one of the most basic – yet most crucial – practices: email archiving. This simple step can offer tremendous piece of mind and protection. Investigate automatic email archiving software which has the potential to serve as the most affordable business insurance you have ever had. Such software works invisibly in the background to back-up ALL employee email, protecting your company from accidental or intentional email deletion.
What do you think?
With the new (budget) year upon us, Siamak Farah, CEO of InfoStreet (www.infostreet.com), offers his top 5 tips for getting a jump on IT spending for 2010:
1. The OS Is Irrelevant!
As the battle of operating systems (OS) wages on between Apple and Microsoft, many businesses feel caught in the middle, unclear of which system to choose. Once a side has been chosen, there is still the ever-present (and recurring) dilemma over which version to choose – not to mention the potential nightmare of migration! (e.g., Should we migrate from XP to Windows 7; What pitfalls, if any, might we encounter?, etc...). Consider, instead, going OS neutral. With the growing popularity of Web-delivered software (also referred to as Software as a Service – or SaaS), companies can relieve themselves of a tremendous headache by relying on experts who deliver always-up-to-date applications via a simple Web browser. This path allows employers to avoid worries over software updates, PLUS, you have the added benefit of being able to “take your desktop with you” (as you can login to your desktop from any computer in the world with a browser and Web access).
2. Ditch the Servers
Perhaps the most significant line item of any IT budget is the costs of hardware (servers); And the hidden cost associated with this occurs when the IT department is pressured to estimate the right size. Assuming a large growth path, many servers must be ordered in advanced to be ready to support the growth. Should downsizing be in the cards, then one needs to plan on decommissioning servers which are hard to dispose of, as they often are worth a fraction of their purchase price. SaaS takes the guesswork out of your budget. In the same fashion that one does not think about the cell phone infrastructure and just orders or decommissions cell phones based on the number of employees, IT managers, can always have the right amount of server power and be poised for growth with SaaS providers.
3. Give Your Employees a (Virtual) Key to the Office
The average American now works longer hours than even our overseas counterparts. If your company makes use of next-generation SaaS tools, your employees can have ANYTIME/ANYWHERE access to their desktop, allowing them to work remotely and during off-hours if that is what is necessary to get the job done. We’ve found that by making remote access to ALL aspects of the work environment easy for our employees, they have become infinitely more efficient – many log-in to check for urgent issues before starting their morning commute and check-in again in the evening – from home. This type of employee dedication can help propel a company from being just a player in their industry to being THE PLAYER.
4. To Thy Own Client Be True
Okay, perhaps that isn’t how the saying actually goes however the sentiment is valid. In this day of aggressive competition, it’s important to use every tool and advantage you can afford to keep in touch with your clients (and have a reliable means for including personal details and generating automated follow-up reminders). CRM (customer relationship management) software is not new, however the leaders in this industry charge more than a pretty penny for their tools. Consider one of the “optimally-sized” versions (such as StreetSmart's Web-based CRM) that can be literally a fraction the cost and which offer the core functionality you need. Don’t be left without such a valuable tool just because you’ve heard CRM software can be too price prohibitive.
5. Automate Your Protection
Every industry has its own set of compliance rules and best business practices. However, many companies overlook one of the most basic – yet most crucial – practices: email archiving. This simple step can offer tremendous piece of mind and protection. Investigate automatic email archiving software which has the potential to serve as the most affordable business insurance you have ever had. Such software works invisibly in the background to back-up ALL employee email, protecting your company from accidental or intentional email deletion.
What do you think?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Electronic Content Still out of Control
Posted by Mark Brousseau
In its annual “State of the ECM Industry” research report, released at its conference and exposition here in Philadelphia, AIIM has found that managing electronic office documents is still a challenge for 47 percent of organizations, and that modern business communication channels—instant messages, text messages, blogs and wikis—are uncontrolled and off the corporate radar for 75 percent of businesses. Additionally, e-mail is still out of control, with 55 percent of organizations having little or no confidence that important emails are recorded, complete and retrievable. However, AIIM’s research also found that whereas two years ago compliance was the main driver for bringing this content into a controlled and searchable environment, cost savings and efficiency are now the main motivating factors.
According to the AIIM survey, for those that have invested in ECM or document and records management solutions, hard dollar savings have on the whole turned out on plan, and soft dollar benefits have exceeded expectations. Compared to other significant technology investments, ECM implementations have generally produced better returns.
John Mancini, President of AIIM, comments, “For many organizations, poorly managed and out of control information represents a huge potential source of bottom line savings in this tight economy — if only organizations would just take this cost saving seriously. Controlled content can be fed into business processes to speed them up, cut down travel via project collaboration, and form a knowledge base for the business. Uncontrolled content represents a lost opportunity – and a major compliance risk.”
The survey also found that spending on Business Process Management (BPM) and Workflow was likely to grow strongly in 2009, with Enterprise Search, Email Management, Document Management and Records Management all set to show positive growth.
What do you think? Post your comments below.
In its annual “State of the ECM Industry” research report, released at its conference and exposition here in Philadelphia, AIIM has found that managing electronic office documents is still a challenge for 47 percent of organizations, and that modern business communication channels—instant messages, text messages, blogs and wikis—are uncontrolled and off the corporate radar for 75 percent of businesses. Additionally, e-mail is still out of control, with 55 percent of organizations having little or no confidence that important emails are recorded, complete and retrievable. However, AIIM’s research also found that whereas two years ago compliance was the main driver for bringing this content into a controlled and searchable environment, cost savings and efficiency are now the main motivating factors.
According to the AIIM survey, for those that have invested in ECM or document and records management solutions, hard dollar savings have on the whole turned out on plan, and soft dollar benefits have exceeded expectations. Compared to other significant technology investments, ECM implementations have generally produced better returns.
John Mancini, President of AIIM, comments, “For many organizations, poorly managed and out of control information represents a huge potential source of bottom line savings in this tight economy — if only organizations would just take this cost saving seriously. Controlled content can be fed into business processes to speed them up, cut down travel via project collaboration, and form a knowledge base for the business. Uncontrolled content represents a lost opportunity – and a major compliance risk.”
The survey also found that spending on Business Process Management (BPM) and Workflow was likely to grow strongly in 2009, with Enterprise Search, Email Management, Document Management and Records Management all set to show positive growth.
What do you think? Post your comments below.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Getting the Point!
By Mark Brousseau
More organizations are leveraging Microsoft SharePoint as a common presentation layer for delivering information from disparate enterprise content systems in a highly contextual way.
“Your content and collaboration strategy needs to take into consideration the role of multiple systems serving different needs, but with a strategic vision,” Rob Koplowitz, principal analyst, Forrester Research, Inc. (rkoplowitz@forrester.com), said today during an Information Week WebCast sponsored by ASG Software Solutions.
“Companies see SharePoint as a layer for shared access across systems,” Koplowitz said. “Not only for pulling information from systems, but for presenting the information in a common way. Lots of people are doing lots of interesting things with SharePoint.”
That’s for sure. SharePoint has now surpassed 100 million licenses worldwide, representing more than 17,000 customers with over $1 billion in revenues. What’s more, Microsoft now counts over 3,300 companies as SharePoint partners. “SharePoint is a game-changing platform for Microsoft,” said Adam Morgan, portal, collaboration and search specialist with Microsoft (adam.morgan@microsoft.com).
And SharePoint should continue to move very fast. According to the results of a Forrester survey presented by Koplowitz, 24 percent of organizations said they are ‘immediately’ implementing or upgrading to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server. An additional 41 percent of respondents said they will be implementing or upgrading to the platform within six months, and 22 percent said they would be doing so within the next 12 months. Only 7 percent of organizations responding said they have no plans to use the SharePoint platform.
Underlying this demand for Microsoft SharePoint is a renewed interest in enterprise collaboration and document management, Koplowitz said. “Collaboration and content management are becoming increasingly intertwined,” Koplowitz explained. “A new layer of infrastructure is being developed to access and manage content across multiple systems and processes. Users want simplified access or they won’t participate.”
This is the role Microsoft SharePoint is filling, Koplowitz said.
As evidence of the move toward collaboration and content management, Koplowitz shared the results of a Forrester survey showing that 50 percent of organizations said that implementing enterprise collaboration strategies would be among their major technology initiatives for the next 12 months. Thirty-four percent of respondents said it was a priority and 15 percent of respondents said it was a ‘critical priority.’
What’s more, Koplowitz provided the results of another survey revealing that nearly 75 percent organizations will invest in document management solutions in 2008 – topping content and e-mail archiving (66 percent), document imaging (64 percent), Web content management (62 percent), and enterprise content management (60 percent).
What is your organization’s view of Microsoft SharePoint? Post your comment below.
More organizations are leveraging Microsoft SharePoint as a common presentation layer for delivering information from disparate enterprise content systems in a highly contextual way.
“Your content and collaboration strategy needs to take into consideration the role of multiple systems serving different needs, but with a strategic vision,” Rob Koplowitz, principal analyst, Forrester Research, Inc. (rkoplowitz@forrester.com), said today during an Information Week WebCast sponsored by ASG Software Solutions.
“Companies see SharePoint as a layer for shared access across systems,” Koplowitz said. “Not only for pulling information from systems, but for presenting the information in a common way. Lots of people are doing lots of interesting things with SharePoint.”
That’s for sure. SharePoint has now surpassed 100 million licenses worldwide, representing more than 17,000 customers with over $1 billion in revenues. What’s more, Microsoft now counts over 3,300 companies as SharePoint partners. “SharePoint is a game-changing platform for Microsoft,” said Adam Morgan, portal, collaboration and search specialist with Microsoft (adam.morgan@microsoft.com).
And SharePoint should continue to move very fast. According to the results of a Forrester survey presented by Koplowitz, 24 percent of organizations said they are ‘immediately’ implementing or upgrading to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server. An additional 41 percent of respondents said they will be implementing or upgrading to the platform within six months, and 22 percent said they would be doing so within the next 12 months. Only 7 percent of organizations responding said they have no plans to use the SharePoint platform.
Underlying this demand for Microsoft SharePoint is a renewed interest in enterprise collaboration and document management, Koplowitz said. “Collaboration and content management are becoming increasingly intertwined,” Koplowitz explained. “A new layer of infrastructure is being developed to access and manage content across multiple systems and processes. Users want simplified access or they won’t participate.”
This is the role Microsoft SharePoint is filling, Koplowitz said.
As evidence of the move toward collaboration and content management, Koplowitz shared the results of a Forrester survey showing that 50 percent of organizations said that implementing enterprise collaboration strategies would be among their major technology initiatives for the next 12 months. Thirty-four percent of respondents said it was a priority and 15 percent of respondents said it was a ‘critical priority.’
What’s more, Koplowitz provided the results of another survey revealing that nearly 75 percent organizations will invest in document management solutions in 2008 – topping content and e-mail archiving (66 percent), document imaging (64 percent), Web content management (62 percent), and enterprise content management (60 percent).
What is your organization’s view of Microsoft SharePoint? Post your comment below.
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