The who, what, where, when, and why of Enterprise Content Management.

1. The 5 W’s of Enterprise
Content Management
What is it? Who is it for? Where is it? When
should you start? Why is it important for your
business?

2. What is
Enterprise
Content
Management ?

3. Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is
software used to capture, store, manage and track
electronic documents and images throughout the
document’s lifecycle.
ECM allows businesses to securely manage their
critical information in order to improve efficiency
and lower costs.

4. Additional components can be integrated with
the ECM software, such as
workflow, mobile, message, and report
management capabilities.
Some ECM systems also come equipped with
data backup functionalities to further round-
out the solution.
A good ECM service provider will customize a
complete solution to fit the needs of each and
every business.

5. Who is
Enterprise
Content
Management
For?

6. Initially, ECM was left for large corporations due to
its high cost and need for IT support to implement
and manage.
Not anymore! New technological developments
have made many ECM systems very affordable for
small and medium-sized businesses and have
virtually eliminated the need for IT resources.

7. ECM is appropriate for all industries, including:
• Healthcare
• Finance
• Insurance
• Education
• Accounting
• Legal
• Manufacturing
• Government
• Public Utilities
• Retail

8. Where is
critical
business
content kept?

9. Content is either kept on the business’s own
computer system (an on-premise ECM solution) or
can be conveniently stored and accessed online
(cloud ECM).
On-Premise ECM:
• Software installed on
company computer
• Up-front capital costs
Cloud ECM:
• No investment in
hardware
• Pay-as-you-go

10. A house is like
On-Premise ECM
A hotel room is
like Cloud ECM
You purchase and own it with
100% responsibility for upkeep
You rent it for as long as you
need and only pay for what you
need with zero responsibility for
upkeep
On-Premise ECM Cloud ECM

11. When is an
ECM System
Needed?

12. Anytime is a good time to start thinking about
implementing an ECM system but here are some
indications that you would benefit from one sooner
than later:
• If you or your employees spend more than a 5
minutes a day searching for
records, invoices, customer and vendor
information etc.
• If you keep critical business records in off-site
storage facilities, adding to your operating
expenses.

13. • If you keep your business documents on-
site, reducing office space. Keeping paper records
on (or off-site, for that matter) increases the risk of
loss, damage, and theft.
• If you’re missing out on capturing early-payment
discounts from vendors due to inefficient
information filing and retrieval processes or
frequently get hit with late-payment charges.

14. • If you or your employees spend time recreating
lost or misplaced documents.
• If you spend too much money on stationary, for
instance, paper, ink, toner etc.
• If you or your employees miss deadlines and
budget targets due to poor communication and
collaboration.

15. Why bother
with ECM
at all?

16. Benefits of implementing an ECM:
• Affordable
• Easy to implement and manage
• Increases user and department productivity
• Reduces human error
• Decreases operating expenses

17. • Improves vendor and customer satisfaction
• Increases security through audit trails
• Maintains regulatory compliance
(PIPEDA, HIPA, Sarbanes-Oxley etc.)
• Easily integrates with existing computer systems
(SharePoint)
• Eliminates the risk of damage and loss

18. More and more companies are turning to Enterprise
Content Management systems in order to control
and manage their critical business
information, regardless of their size.
If you have large amounts of information coming
into your business and you want to save time, money
and frustration, then it pays to investigate what an
ECM system can do for you.

19. This presentation was developed from the
whitepaper, “The Five W’s of ECM”. Download
your copy for more information.
Download the whitepaper, “Six Critical Features to
Look for in an ECM Solution”.
Don’t forget to visit our Resources page on our
website for more great information!
www.polarimaging.ca

20. About Polar Imaging Inc.
With over 30 years’ experience,
Polar Imaging is a leader in
Enterprise Content Management solutions and scanning, delivering a broad
spectrum of ECM solutions, fully customized to fit the needs of its
customers. Polar Imaging also specializes in cloud
backup and recovery, unlike any other provider in the region. Its unique
services offer a customer experience that surpasses all others. Polar Imaging
is a reseller of Digitech Systems software, PaperVision Enterprise.
Core products and services:
Document Scanning Services, Electronic Content Management (ECM)
Solutions, Business Workflow Automation, Mailroom Services, Cloud
Backup and Recovery, Software as a Service (SaaS), Microfilm & Scanning
Equipment Sales and Services, Professional Services.