Image by: ThomasVogel, ©2018 Getty Images
2018 was quite the wild ride for enterprise technologists, as organizations tried to separate fact from fantasy. It's clear that the freight train known as artificial intelligence (AI) can't be stopped, embedding itself in almost every aspect of our lives. The rise of blockchain (and the immutable ledger), bots, digital assistants, and virtual/augmented reality in the workplace seemed poised to completely rewrite how we interact with another and how business will be conducted in the future. It almost seems surreal (after all, remember when the biggest debate revolved around moving to the cloud?).
As we move into the new year, the reality at most organizations will probably land somewhere in the middle. Corporate stakeholders still need foundational content strategies and sound information practices they've yet to master, but emerging technologies, like AI, are introducing completely new ways of working that were once thought impossible. As you will see, our most popular stories of 2018 reflect this mixture of reality and opportunity that await all of us.
If there's one particular market segment that's going through a renaissance, it's document capture. Especially in 2018, the application of AI, analytics, and machine learning made us take another look at the traditional world of document scanning and storage. In this sit down with Ephesoft CEO Ike Kavas, we explore how today's modern capture solutions are using the cloud to go beyond the first mile of document processing.
9. OpenText Is Serious About the Digital Business: Here's Why That Matters by Allison Lloyd
For the last several years, we've watched OpenText, one of the largest providers of enterprise information management, acquire companies left and right. Some of these purchases seemed to make a lot of sense (larger and more dominant market share), while others made analysts and pundits alike scratch their heads. However, it was at their annual customer event in Toronto that we saw their strategy coalesce—in the form of a digital hub of sorts, one that's built upon the principle of integration. Mark my words: 2019 will be the year for integration technologies.
8. 4 Questions to Ask When Building a Records Management Program by Cindy Zuvich
For all the exciting innovations on the verge of remaking our reality, we still have trouble managing our records and information. Our "back to the basics" look at building a records and information management program outlines the four essential questions you should ask yourself before embarking on your program development. The appearance of this article on our list reminds us all that we still need sound information management practices, no matter what the future holds.
7. The 3 Hidden Costs of SharePoint by Stéphane Donzé
In this provocative post, Stéphane Donzé challenges readers to confront their dreams of agility with the use of unintuitive tools. He outlines four hidden costs when it comes to using legacy platforms that are not cloud-native—especially SharePoint.
6. Quadient Brings Omni-Channel Dominance to the Digital Experience with Inspire R12 by Allison Lloyd
For all the exciting innovations on the verge of remaking our reality, we still have trouble managing our records and information. Our "back to the basics" look at building a records and information management program outlines the four essential questions you should ask yourself before embarking on your program development. The appearance of this article on our list reminds us all that we still need sound information management practices, no matter what the future holds.
7. The 3 Hidden Costs of SharePoint by Stéphane Donzé
In this provocative post, Stéphane Donzé challenges readers to confront their dreams of agility with the use of unintuitive tools. He outlines four hidden costs when it comes to using legacy platforms that are not cloud-native—especially SharePoint.
6. Quadient Brings Omni-Channel Dominance to the Digital Experience with Inspire R12 by Allison Lloyd
The digital age has wreaked havoc on many aspects of the enterprise—none more so than customer communications management (CCM). As customer engagement channels proliferate, the convergence of CCM within the fragmented landscape of digital customer experience will continue. As a result, technology providers, like Quadient, will pivot toward omni-channel orchestration (based on data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence), delivering insights around our communications and customer experiences.
5. How Blockchain Will Impact Information Management by Mika Javanainen
As this article succinctly states, "The implications of blockchain are vast for organizations across all industries." This disruptor has inspired a bazillion posts, ranging from cryptocurrency to the idea of eliminating the need for intermediaries. Yet, it's hard to wade through all the hype around blockchain to see how an organization would actually apply this technology to manage their information. In this post, M-Files Vice President of Product Marketing Mika Javanainen outlines two of the most popular use cases seen today.
4. Gartner's Top 10 Technology Trends for 2018 by Allison Lloyd
No matter what you think about technology predictions, one thing is clear: We can't get enough of them! We kicked off 2018 by looking at some of the biggest trends predicated by Gartner, including AI, digital twins, blockchain, digital assistants, Internet of things, and augmented reality (to just name a few). You decide which predictions hit the mark and which fell flat.
3. The 4 Types of CCM Technology You Need to Know About by Kaspar Roos
This year, the customer communications management (CCM) industry went though some of the biggest changes we've seen in a log time. In particular, this market has a wide range of solutions involved in creating, managing, and fulfilling customer communications. To understand these importance nuances, CCM expert Kaspar Roos lays out the four major categories that enterprise buyers should think about, spanning across Automated Document Factory (ADF), customer communications, business automation, and omni-channel orchestration.
2. How to Build an RPA Center of Excellence by Russ Gould
We couldn't stop talking about robotic process automation (RPA) this year and how it would transform the back office. While it remained a nascent segment of the technology landscape in 2018, it's certain that it won't stay that way. Tackling a RPA initiative will require a focus on business outcomes, not just the technology. In this post, Kofax Vice President of Product and Solutions Marketing Russ Gould explains how a center of excellence can help sustain your RPA efforts throughout the organization.
1. The Answers to Your Common Questions About the GDPR by Katie Stevens
Maybe it's not surprising that our primer on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes in on top. If we learned anything about the arrival of this transformational piece of legislation, it was that we still have a lot to learn. No matter where you sit in the organization, it's obvious that data privacy will become a core business activity now and in the future.
We've been talking about digital transformation for a while now, but it seems that the enterprise has finally gotten the message. As we map out our digital strategies in 2019, it will take an investment in foundational practices, disruptive technologies, reengineered processes, and a new of thinking. We look forward to traveling on this journey with you in 2019!
Allison Lloyd serves as the Editor of DOCUMENT Strategy Media. She delivers thought leadership on strategic and plan-based solutions for managing the entire document, communication, and information process. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonYLloyd.
