Obviously on a day-to-day basis in the normal course of business , there are many confidential documents that pass hands electronically. Furthermore, as a result of more rapid markets, our websites need to be (and usually are) updated on a more regular basis. According to customers I have spoken to, the web content management process is usually one whereby business users create content in word, which is then  subsequently emailed to web developers who publish this into HTML for the website(s). There are some fundamentals problems here:

• There is no formal and auditable approval process
• Email Servers get clogged
• There is no mechanism to prevent sensitive documents reaching the web

Ideally, what one should have in place are technologies that provide content-centric security and workflow/approval processes for content that is to be published to the web. Content-centric security ensures that, no matter whose hands an electronic document ends up in, the document will have fine-grained security applied. I.e. it can’t be opened, printed, editted, etc unless the person has the appropriate security credentials. It also provides an audit trail on each content item or document.

Furthermore, a content management system (CMS) will enable business users to create web content in their native application (e.g. Word) and drag this into a folder, after which it will be subjected to a formal approval process (that can be audited), converted to HTML, and then published to the web.

In conclusion, as we have seen sensitive information can quite easily leak out or end up in the wrong hands. What we need to realise is that prevention is better than cure.

The other cost of paper

Given that we recently had Earth Day, I have been doing quite a bit of reading regarding Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and how it supports businesses that have green initiatives. What I found is that, while ECM helps cut costs, it also helps businesses reduce their environmental footprint.

As an example, imagine if your business could save over hundreds of trees a year and tons of carbon emissions…all while saving money at the same time. Then we can also start looking at other positive spin-offs, such as brand reputation – customers are becoming more discerning regarding how green their vendors are – and increased shareholder value.

For an interesting read, check out this whitepaper – it’ll take about 15mins of your time but is definitely worth it.

Just as our planet will shrivel up into a smoldering dust ball (according to some theorists), so our business would also shrivel up should we not take steps to make them more sustainable. Technology, as always, provides the avenues for business to do business more efficiently and effectively. Take the Ford GT40 versus the Tesla Roadster as a metaphor: While the Ford GT40 and Tesla Roadster are comparable in price and performance, the Tesla has no green house emissions and petrol costs are zero. Why? Well, because the Tesla is electric. Similarly there are technologies available to business to assist them in improving the performance of their operations while simultaneously decreasing costs.

Lets take paper as an example. Imagine the printing and shipping costs, as well as the cost in time and employee inefficiency that a business can experience as a result of paper. Also bear in mind the amount of pollution that results from producing and transporting paper based documents. One weekend, I accompanied my fiancé in to work (for safety reasons). At one point she got a call from a customer and needed to pull a (physical) file that one of her colleagues had created for this customer. An hour later she still hadn’t found the file. I have also been in conversation with customers that transport various documents cross-country (and sometimes beyond borders) in order to capture the information on these paper documents. Ouch, imagine the cost of that! Then there’s the fact that there’s generally a 2-3 week lead-time and loss of early payment discounts (in the case of Accounts Payable at least).

Ideally we should capture our paper documents remotely, or centrally, and make them available to the relevant users online wherever they are, negating the printing and shipping costs as much as possible. Investing in the right technology can drastically improve the productive capacity of business. And paper is just one of many examples. The moral of the story – technology can be an enabler for the “Re-Greening” of our planet, as well as your business. The end result is a more sustainable business, that not only runs smoother but also runs faster.

So we’re sitting in the thick of a global economic recession and things aren’t going to be getting easier any time soon. Organisations are going to look for various avenues to cut costs and streamline their operations. Budgets will get slashed, but competition will be as ferocious as ever – each fighting for a bigger piece of a smaller pie. Competitive advantage will therefore lie in the hands of those that can leverage effective channels to reach the hearts and minds of their customers.

Social Media is one such channel. It is drastically impacting the way that people want to, and expect to, interact with each other. Just as the web increased our lust for information and for instant gratification, so Social Media is increasing our want for more meaningful interactions with the brands and people that form an integral part of our everyday lives.

Therefore, companies need to embrace social media, just as their customers have. As David Alston pointed out, one’s customers are engaging with each other using social media, talking about your brand and your competitors’ brands. They expect companies to engage with them in the same manner, with the genuine motive of adding value to their lives in one way or another. This is after all what enduring relationships are about – mutual dependence and symmetry. Therefore, it makes sense to extend the marketing mix to leverage the capabilities of Social Media, providing an efficient and effective way to reach one’s customers and engage on a more personal level.