How Intelligent Information Management Breaks Down Information Silos

An immense amount of business data is gathered over time and stored for retrieval whenever necessary. As more data gathers, it gets scattered across multiple locations, creating Information Silos and damaging key aspects like efficiency and productivity. But breaking these Information Silos down can actually boost these aspects – and Intelligent Information Management makes it easy.

When managed correctly, the information collected by a business can be an extremely valuable resource. But storing it all has always been the challenge, with shared network folders, email systems, Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and the file-sharing apps (like Dropbox, Google Drive) now typically used.

But with so many separate repositories being used, integration and retrieval becomes a key issue. The ability to ‘share’ information across independent systems is not always there, and this in turn adversely affects communication, connectivity and workplace performance.

Information piles up in these apps, creating Information Silos awash with documents, images and files, ensuring finding the right document is still uncertain. Through Intelligent Information Management, employees can now find and verify information easily across existing storage locations but removing the risk of misfiling, duplication and information loss.

Information Silos Are A Global Problem

An international study carried out by M-Files, the intelligent document management platform providers, revealed the extent of the problem posed by Information Silos.

Involving 300 business users around the globe, their survey discovered that 24% search for a document but cannot find it on a weekly basis, while 66% find different versions of the same document in different silos. Perhaps more significantly, 40% of the time it was not clear which version was the most recent.

The time needed to find a document is also an issue, with 15% of respondents saying that needed up to 15 minutes to find the correct version, with the majority (45%) estimating it took about 3 minutes. Just 21% said the process took just a minute or less.

Breaking Down Silos

While the old systems once seemed sufficient to handle the flood of data flowing through a business, the volume today has become too high for it to adequately cope and the silos do nothing to ease the burden.

Intelligent Information Management breaks down these Information Silos, replacing them with a superior, more efficient and more convenient system. This is because information is stored based on content and need, while location becomes largely irrelevant.

Key Intelligent Information Management Traits

1. It Has Metadata-based Architecture

The whole architecture of Intelligent Document Management is metadata-focused, but to a higher level than before. Information is defined more intuitively, allowing it to be retrieved more easily and more quickly. And because the system works with existing apps and systems (Office365, OneDrive, CRM or ERP), the need to move from system to system is removed.

2. It Is Intelligent

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is used to simplify how metadata is generated and, ultimately, how users interact with information. This AI technology uses text analytics and natural language processing (NLP) and understanding (NLU) to infer what the information is about and what it is related to.

3. It Is Value-based

Value-based information management means the value information has to the business plays a key role. So information that is more business-critical than other types gets priority; images, for example, are usually not so important, but a legal document is. Old documents can be archived or removed, while those deemed important can be ranked by their value ensuring the most relevant is always nearest to hand.

4. It Is System-neutral

Basically, system-neutral means that the intelligent system recognises existing structures and connects with other repositories and systems. So, there is no need to transfer data to a single location; it can simply stay where it is. Information is available via a single user interface without disturbing other systems and processes.

5. It Offers A Unified User Experience

With a single interface, regardless the variety of repositories the information is in, a unified user experience is delivered. This means that users can easily access information from any PC or device, while offline access is supported when an internet connection is unavailable.

Click here to learn how Kefron’s Electronic Content Management Systems can help your business to improve how you find, share and manage documents.