Capturing and storing digital assets for your organization with an ECM or DM solution is only the first step. Now you need to leverage those digital assets to drive revenue and cut costs further. So here is your checklist for making technology choices to complement and future-proof your ECM or DM implementation. [Note: Our e-books are free. Check them out HERE. Have you registered for our free Fall ECM Seminars?] 8 Criteria to Consider in Selecting Your ECM/DM Solution 1 — Metadata Maintenance (Automation). If your long term problem has been the categorization and organization of digital assets then you must address this long term maintenance issue. And do not forget that the meaning and importance of metadata will change over time and quality of tagging will depend on perspective of each end user. Not to say folksonomies or allowing end users to contribute tags is not useful, it is; but have no doubt that automation is the only scalable solution. Do not leave tagging to the end users. The end user is overwhelmed already, so you need to reduce the metadata maintenance requirements on their time. To automate metadata maintenance tasks, you will need a solution that supports entity…

Writing proposals is like a love hate relationship, without the love. Many companies do not give proposal writing its due in the organization. Many companies believe that it is the salesman’s personal relationship with the customer that will win the deal, many companies respond to any and all RFPs by throwing together a “boilerplate” proposal with pricing. This is because many companies do not see the value in spending time and resources on proposal writing. This is where your company can be a winner by putting together a well written sales proposal that responds to the RFP requirements. This by itself will guarantee you a spot on the short list. [Note: Our e-books are free. Check them out HERE. Have you registered for our free Fall ECM Seminars?] 8 Things to Consider When Writing an ECM Proposal1 — Read the RFP from cover to cover and annotate it with a highlighter and pen. If it is available in Word or PDF, use the highlight and comments tools. And you are saying, “Gee Bud, I never thought of that.” And if you were on my end, as someone who writes RFPs, I would say that I can’t count the number of…

Outsourcing is an unparalleled strategy that enables businesses to focus on their core business needs and better serve their customers. It’s also an effective way to build a culture capable of adapting to change at a moment’s notice. Today, many companies are reviewing their operations in depth to understand their true core competencies and determine what processes to outsource to become more efficient. [Sidebar from JM -- If you are a Document Management reseller or integrator or service bureau, you should plan RIGHT NOW to attend our annual Document Management Service Providers Executive Forum in Nashville. It is THE event and slots are going fast. Click on the above link for details.]Outsourcing with a document management provider for non-core services such as document shredding, storage and imaging can free up your business processes in a cost-effective manner; letting you focus on your main business goals. Some signs your business should look into outsourcing include: high volume of transactions, complex process requirements, and/or dynamic growth. This may also be ideal if your business is under pressure to reduce costs. Any chance of decreasing transaction-processing costs frees up capital that can then be applied to more strategic initiatives. Below are eight strategic…

If you haven’t already done so, a reminder that our SharePoint e-book is now available and it’s free and there is no registration required. In addition, it is published under Creative Commons, so if you want to post it on you web site and use it for SEO, lead gen, etc., feel free. Just note where you got it from. Contact me if you have any questions what you can do and what you can’t. Download SharePoint e-book Also, here’s a link to all the “8 things” e-books.

An RFP is a tool used to purchase products and services by promoting competitive proposals among vendors. Through this competitive process, vendors offer an array of potential solutions and prices and compete with each other to win your business. Buyers evaluate the many different vendor solutions and pick the one that most closely fits their project requirements and budget. An RFP is a vehicle that allows both the buyer and the vendor to establish a dialogue and to work from the same set of rules, requirements, schedules, and information. The opportunity to have this dialogue is an important element in the process because requirements are not always clear and the vendor, as the expert in a given technology, is allowed to question and interpret what is being requested by the buyer. Conversely, the buyer has the opportunity to question and clarify issues in vendor proposals to ensure that the product fits the need. 8 Things to Consider When Writing an ECM Request for Proposal (RFP) 1 — Review and Understand the Technology. ECM is a diverse set of technologies that can work together but you can also buy and use only one application. ECM – Enterprise Content Management applications can…

Thanks to some creative work by my summer intern, Chris Palmer, and our AIIM design wiz Dala Solano, I am pleased to announce the release of a new and expanded SharePoint e-book. Thanks also to all of the experts whose posts make this whole project click — I appreciate your contributions. The book is still FREE, but a couple of things are new in addition to the content… Now no registration is required on our web site to download the book. AND You can post the link to the book on your web site — no need to ask. AND The book is licensed under Creative Commons by-nd (Attribution, No Derivatives). That means you can post the book itself on your own web site as content; just give credit and don’t change it. You can also feel free to copy/paste the links to the individual articles below to your site — if you are an integrator or developer, the content might help in SEO for your site. If you are interested in SharePoint, you might also be interested in… Check out the Governance Module for our new SharePoint training — it’s free; usually $65. Use the code EBKSP. Download our…