Our team has daily conversations with customers and prospects who have realized that Windows Explorer just isn’t cuttingit as anEnterprise Content Management (ECM) system.
We love these conversations for two reasons. First, these folks have already ditched file cabinets and manila folders; they get the concept that paper is a bottleneck. No. 2, we know that a more structured and controlled “electronic”approach will improve efficiency. This is what we live for: helping companies operate more efficiently.
What’s not to love about Windows Explorer? Free. Ubiquitous. Comfortable. And very simple. As companies move their paper records from the file room to the S: drive, it only makes sense to start with Windows Explorer. A template file structure for customer or employee records is established, and away we go.
But what are some of the drawbacks? Here are a few, not necessarily in order:
Problem 1: Chaos Creeps In.
As people use Windows Explorer, they will inevitably feel the need to create just one more sub-folder. If you only have three or four people filing documents, this is no big deal. But if you have many people filing documents, the structure of your Windows Explorer records quickly becomes inconsistent. (Or at the end of a long day, eight clicks to get to the right sub-folder may be too much to bear, leading the document to be filed “wherever.”)
The real problem with an inconsistent structure is the time people will spend searching for documents – and sometimes never finding the document. Depending on the document, losing one can be an expensive proposition. A better approach is a very structured ECM (or document management system)that puts important documents a click or two away from your people. Just picture your local C: drive Windows Explorer structure. Is it consistent and easy to use? Now imagine you have 10 other people in your C: drive creating folders and filing documents. There is no way you would let that happen.
Problem 2: Out of Control.
With Windows Explorer it’s possible to control access; that’s a disclaimer to our IT friends out there we won’t say it can’t be done. But what a pain it iswith HIPAA and PCI and SOX and all the other compliance pressure on companies to secure personal information! For growing companies with more and more people needing access to documents, the challenge of controlling who has rights to specific folders and files can be daunting if you are using Windows Explorer. Document managementsoftware provides built in capability to manage rights by user and by group.
Problem 3: Naming Inconsistency.
For a system to be efficiently searchable, there really needs to be a mechanism for enforcing document naming conventions. There is no carrot nor stick with sufficient magical power to make people name files the same way every time they file them. Even the most disciplined people sometimes get in a hurry or make a mistake. How you find those mistakes is a pretty important question if you are depending on Windows Explorer. A real Enterprise Content Management systemwill provide naming controls that automate and standardize document naming to save time every time you file a document and every time you look for a document.
Problem 4: Lack of Retention.
Almost every business we work with has certain documents that must be retained for some period of time. When an audit occurs and it is discovered that one of these documents is missing, bad and expensive things happen. Document retention is a fairly standard feature found in today’s commercial ECM products. Some systems even allow you to apply a retention policy as part of the naming convention template so you know you are in compliance.
Problem 5: Not Very Mobile.
Sure, you can connect via VPN to your server at work and peruse the old S: drive any time you need to. As long as your IT team has set your network up to allow this. But wouldn’t you rather open an app on your phone and securely log in to your ECM from anywhere, anytime? If you are looking at content management and it does not provide an app for at least iOS and Android, please keep on looking.
Problem 6: Another Information Silo
Your ECM structure really should be integrated with other applications used to run your business. For example, your AP documents and structure should be synched with your ERP AP software. When you add and change vendors in your ERP, those changes should be kept current in the ECM. Otherwise, duplicate entry and human error creep in. Your HR ECM should integrate with your HRIS system – for the same reasons.
We are stopping at six. The basic issue we see when we have these discussions with our customers is that Windows Explorer is great in the beginning, but it just doesn’t scale. Once you get more than a handful of people who need to use the ECM, the wheels start to come off. There are more compelling reasons why Windows Explorer is not the ideal ECM solution, and it would be great to hear from you if you have more ideas we should share on this topic.
