Big data is touted as a gamechanger in business, but for manufacturers struggling to make sense of the data they have, it could be more of an expensive hindrance. This is exacerbated by the fact that the amount of data manufacturers must cope with continues to explode and is often stored across different silos. By Nicholas Delaveris, alliances and partner director, Australia and New Zealand, M-Files
Moreover, those silos continue to multiply as more systems are deployed to keep up with the increasing demand to digitise operations. Because those silos can’t connect with each other or with other existing systems and content repositories, manufacturers are left with separated collections of information that don’t provide useful or actionable insights.
This creates measurable inefficiencies within the organisation beyond simply lacking actionable insights. Chief among these is that employees struggle to find the information they need, when they need it. For example, a global study conducted by M-Files revealed that 24% of respondents look for documents and can’t find them on a weekly basis. Spending too much time searching various content repositories means employees can’t concentrate on their core tasks.
Even when employees do find the information they’re looking for, they can never be absolutely certain that it’s the correct or most recent version. This is because employees often duplicate the content across different silos so that it can be used for cross-referencing or to enrich existing information. Storing information in two or more separate places is a recipe for version confusion and means employees can never guarantee they’re working with a single source of truth. Two-thirds of the survey respondents said they find different versions of documents in different locations, and 40% said it wasn’t readily apparent which one was the most recent version.
These businesses therefore struggle to maintain productivity and accuracy in their operations, which can affect their ability to compete successfully.
Compounding matters is the tendency of businesses to layer another content management system over the top of existing attempts to solve the problem. This introduces more complexity and cost, and rarely delivers the results businesses are looking for. Similarly, employees often turn to cloud-based solutions such as Dropbox or Google Drive, creating even more repositories for business information.
Instead of applying these band-aid approaches, manufacturers need a solution that organises their information based on context that lets them manage information based on what the information is, not where it’s stored. If content gets managed by “what” it is, the need to specify a location for it (e.g. a network shared folder) becomes irrelevant. This is similar to how Spotify manages music or Netflix manages video – there is no longer a need to store the content in a folder location. That way, every single piece of information relating to a specific customer, for example, can be found quickly without having to duplicate it into multiple locations.
Manufacturers also need to respond to the rising trend of employee expectations that business systems resemble the apps they use in their personal lives. This consumerisation of business IT helps employees be more productive and efficient, and minimises the frustration associated with difficult-to-use systems.
It’s also important for employees to be able to access all the information they need from anywhere in the world using whatever device they have to hand. Work is no longer a destination but an activity, and employees expect to be as productive from their hotel room in New York as they are from their office in Sydney.
These requirements can be satisfied by an intelligent information management solution that demonstrates five key elements:
- Metadata-based architecture. Metadata is the foundation of the modern information management architecture, defining what something is and what it’s related to in an objectively precise and intuitive way. Once information is objectively defined, it can be decoupled from its location, and then an entirely new world of information management opens up.
- Intelligence. Intelligent Information Management leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to automate, simplify, and assist the user with how they interact with information, particularly how metadata is generated and applied so that information is correctly and intuitively classified and organised.
- Value-based. One of the key concepts behind this new approach is what can be referred to as value-based information management, which means that information is managed differently based on its value to the business. One aspect of this concept is based on the premise that the volume of information is so large and growing that it will eventually overload any system. Another is that some information is more business-critical than other information.
- System-neutral backend. This provides the ability to connect with other repositories and systems in a way that gives users visibility into each information silo without requiring that content be copied into a single, monolithic repository. Rather, through an open architecture that enables connections to other systems and repositories, including network files shares, office applications (e.g. CRM, ERP, email), file-sharing services, other ECM systems, and so on, information is available via a single user interface while remaining in place without disturbing other systems and processes, as well as those who rely on them.
- Unified user experience. An intelligent approach to information management delivers a unified user experience via a consistent and familiar interface, regardless of the original repository or system in which information is stored and managed. This enables simple, intuitive access from any PC or device, including native mobile apps for smartphones and tablets. Additionally, offline access is supported when an internet connection is unavailable.
With the right intelligent content management solutions, manufacturers can eliminate information silos forever, breaking down barriers between information and the employees who need it. Rather than migrating content into a single, giant repository, manufacturers must overlay a solution that provides visibility and access into the multiple existing systems businesses already have. Doing so will help them compete more effectively and minimise the time and frustration involved in accessing mission-critical content.
Nicholas Delaveris is Alliances & Partner Director – ANZ at M-Files.