Whether you call it Enterprise Information Management (EIM) or Enterprise Content Management (ECM), the information management industry is evolving. Gartner says ECM is dead, and they’re talking now about content services, stating that old definitions don’t describe the market accurately. The Association for Intelligent Information Management (AIIM) defines modern, intelligent information management as:

Neither a single technology nor a methodology nor a process; it is a dynamic combination of  strategies, methods and tools used to capture, manage, store, preserve and deliver information supporting key organizational processes through its entire lifecycle.³

Central to the AIIM definition is the concept that information management is intended to support an organization’s processes. Indeed, it is so much more than just storing and archiving documents. Among the plethora of practical functions, intelligent information management (IIM) systems are used for:⁴

• Document management
• Searching for information and documents
• Records management
• Digitization of materials with optical character recognition
• Workflows / business process management
• Email management and archiving
• Collaboration

By deploying an IIM system, organizations benefit from the quality, integrity and accuracy of their most critical information. The system also supports knowledge workers by making information easier to find and use. Information management can also be used as a means of controlling risk and ensuring compliance, enabling consistent workflows, and harmonizing processes. Finally, an organization can achieve substantial cost savings by managing their information with an ECM platform.