Since 2020, the technology that keeps business operations going at optimal levels has made massive leaps and bounds. From new automation options, to remote access to key data, to the advent of viable artificial intelligence tools, Enterprise Content Management (ECM) has seen incredible progress in the last several years.
ECM encompasses the processes, tools, and strategies that allow an organization to collect, store, organize, and deliver key data, documents, and other file types to internal and external users and stake-holders.
For many organizations, the digital transformation of modern ECM systems has opened the door for vastly more efficient processes and workflows. It has also increased the ease with which the members of an organization can access and utilize key content in the course of their duties.
Next-gen ECM platforms have also helped free-up physical space that would otherwise have been dedicated to physical document storage, allowing organizations to make better use of the office space they own or lease.
Some of the biggest trends for ECM right now and heading into 2026 are continuations of progress on existing tech like the cloud, while others involve new uses of AI, and more. So let’s take a look at the biggest Enterprise Content Management trends happening right now.
Cloud-based ECM systems aren’t new, but they are both increasingly common and the focus of new developments and innovations. This is because the cloud provides several massive benefits.
Utilizing the cloud for enterprise content management provides an organization with several key advantages. One of the most important is the degree to which the cloud can lower infrastructure costs. When you move your ECM to the cloud, you no longer need to hold physical space for specific servers, or maintain filing cabinets for hard copies of every single document that comes through your organization.
As important documents are created and processed, cloud content collaboration allows your team members and external stakeholders to work together from anywhere in the world. And since everyone can operate on the same file through your ECM, version control and continuity is much simpler to maintain.
Enterprise content security also benefits from utilization of the cloud. Not only can you set the requirements to log in and access information, but cloud-based software can be regularly and automatically updated with the latest security improvements and patches.
Getting your ECM up and running on the cloud is easier now than ever before. Platforms from Oracle and M-Files offer cloud-forward or cloud-based solutions that can be instantiated and patched in minutes. This enables lower startup and maintenance costs for the organization.
As remote, hybrid, and in-office workforces continue to blend and evolve across both the public and private sectors, the benefits provided by the cloud become more and more important. Any ECM that does not incorporate a cloud strategy effectively simply cannot keep up with the evolution of content management.
Artificial intelligence has become an increasing presence throughout society, and the world of ECM is no different. AI in enterprise content management is contributing to new avenues for automation and new developments identifying and sorting information.
AI and machine learning tools can be trained to leverage natural text processing to identify key information and values throughout structured, unstructured, and hybrid documents. Users can then direct an AI-powered search to turn natural language search prompts into thorough, relevant results.
Many ECM platforms offer AI assistants that can support content generation as well as searches and document processing. These tools can be very useful, but require some content and data governance to make sure that any text it generates or code it helps write is accurate and concise.
As your organization integrates AI and machine learning tech into your ECM system, they will help bring added personalization to your team’s business operations. The way your individual people work can be augmented and improved through machine learning for content management. The ability to improve workflows not just on an organizational level but on an individual level would not be possible without the innovations in the field of AI.
The improvements to AI and machine learning has also improved the way ECM’s incorporate robotic process automation (RPA). RPA is the use of intelligent automation technology to handle the kinds of repetitive tasks that are important, but can take up many hours out of an average work week.
Intelligent document processing that utilizes RPA allows team members to get through the necessary workflows that used to take up a massive amount of time much more quickly — which allows them to focus on higher level tasks.
Because information is so valuable and there are significant laws and regulations that dictate security and confidentiality requirements, it is absolutely imperative that your enterprise content management solution be able to protect that information and meet those compliance requirements.
The health industry has HIPAA, international business has regulations like the EU’s GDPR, and you need to be prepared to meet the information security audit requirements of a framework like SOC 2 or ISO 27001.
ECM compliance solutions have to tackle both general information security demands as well as those regulations specific to a particular industry. One major compliance tool is role-based access control (RBAC).
RBAC limits the users that are allowed to view certain data according to their access privileges. For example, an external partner would be able to access the information related to their collaborations with your organization, but would not have access to any other data or documents.
Regular use of cloud technology also allows end-to-end encryption for all data and documents. This facilitates secure operations across the length and breadth of your document lifecycle management. From receiving a document to archiving that document, the data contained will remain safe from prying eyes.
Getting back to the usage of artificial intelligence, AI can be used to power automated security and compliance audits. It can be trained to identify metadata markers and flag data that is being improperly stored as well as look out for procedural compliance.
And beyond metadata management, AI can be used to identify the jurisdictions that your document processing falls under and ensure the proper steps are in place to meet compliance regulations for that jurisdiction — be it GDPR for personal data protection in Europe or an SOC 2 audit.
The fact of the matter is that your enterprise content management system is only one part of the intricate puzzle that makes up a modern organization’s technology. For example, fully integrating your ECM with your CRM allows you to more efficiently track your history with every customer you’ve ever helped by connecting each file associated with that customer.
Having your tools and information united in a kind of enterprise knowledge management framework that incorporates your ECM, CRM, ERP, and more means that you can bring up every possible relevant piece of information from anywhere in your system with one search — allowing your employees to spend more time focusing on serving your customers and less time scrounging up key information.
There are many names in the ECM sphere with more innovations emerging every year. This year, cloud technology and AI assistance are the biggest trends, but next year it may be incorporating the blockchain in content management.
So how do you find the right ECM to suit your current needs without sacrificing the ability to keep up with emerging and future trends? You work with people who know content management inside and out.
TEAM IM has assembled experts in enterprise content management with collective decades of experience. From SharePoint to Oracle to M-Files and everywhere in between, TEAM IM has the knowledge to help you find not only the system that will be best for you but the implementation and integration strategy that will keep your day-to-day operations rolling smoothly while your organization upgrades.
The world is not going to stop advancing. Improving the use of the cloud and finding bold, new ways to leverage the power of artificial intelligence are the biggest trends in ECM today, but they are just the start.
By working with TEAM IM to optimize your enterprise content management, you open the door to improved performance and efficiency through automation, increased and secure access through the cloud, and smooth integration through the expertise of a seasoned crew of developers and engineers.
Don’t get left behind. See how TEAM IM can improve your ECM today.
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