ECM Illustrated – Where Supply Meets Demand

Hungry for three-letter abbreviations? Here is an attempt to (re)define what ECM, ECA, EIM and EIA stand for and how they relate to each other.

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is a collection of processes (supported with technologies) for managing any kind of digital content throughout its entire life cycle within the context of an enterprise.

The Enterprise Content Architecture (ECA) semantically organizes the content resources within an enterprise with the aim to support efficient and secure managament of digital content throughout its lifecycle. The ECA provides the structures needed for efficient ECM processes.

Enterprise Information Management (EIM) is a collection of processes for identifying what information the organization needs to function efficiently, and making sure it gets it, i.e. providing the right information to the right user (human or machine) in the right time. To be able to do this, the enterprise need to have efficient ECM processes in place (make sure to clean up at home before you invite any guests).

The Enterprise Information Architecture (EIA) semantically organizes the information resources (content that is intended to inform users) within an enterprise with the aim to support its information needs by providing a structure that connects users (human or machine) with the information they need. The EIA provides the structures needed for efficient EIM processes.

ECM and ECA is working on the supply side (provider) while EIM and EIM is working on the demand side (user).