System Admin Guide for Choosing the Best Content Services Platforms

February 28, 2020

Some other important things to look at when choosing a content services platform is how it supports collaboration, data storage, and even its user-friendly interface. The most important factor to consider is how it will advance your organization’s strategies.

 

Over the past few years, we have seen a lot of innovative solutions that have eased the burden on system administrators. This is especially evident in terms of content. Today, content services platforms are taking over from content management systems (CMS). Though CMS still exist in many organizations, the future of enterprise content management (ECM) points to content services platforms.

There is a thin line between content services platforms and CMS, and these terms are often used interchangeably. Content services platforms don't just provide the tools that you'd find on a CMS, but also harness data to provide useful insights that can help organizations improve their efficiency. Essentially, content services platforms are more flexible and powerful. That being said, some CMS platforms are upgrading their services to keep up with the trend.

Choosing a content services platform can be a difficult choice for system administrators. It is not enough to base your choice on the benefits and functionality of the platform, you also have to consider its ease of use and the on-boarding process.

 

Here are a few key things to consider when selecting a content services platform:

A. Cloud-Readiness: Today, most organizations coordinate their activities from the cloud or use both cloud and on-premise solutions. Therefore, it is essential for any content services platform that you choose to be cloud-ready. Cloud-ready content services platforms do not only provide data security, but also flexibility.

B. APIs and App Development: Content services platforms must have support APIs and app development to allow you to customize the solutions to the needs of your organization. This ensures you can make enterprise applications available. Ultimately, support for APIs and app development boosts productivity.

C. Analytics and Reporting: The need for analytics and reporting in content services platforms may seem unimportant, but this is one of the things that sets them apart from the traditional CMS. With machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other tools; content services platforms are able to provide valuable insights that can boost efficiency.

D. Security: This is one of the primary concerns for data admins when looking at content services platforms. Most content services platforms on the market have numerous security tools to protect your data when in storage and in transit. Plus, they are designed to meet governance compliance policies.

Some other important things to look at when choosing a content services platform is how it supports collaboration, data storage, and even its user-friendly interface. The most important factor to consider is how it will advance your organization's strategies. Some content services platforms are best suited for large organizations and some work best for organizations in particular sectors. Therefore, you must take the time to study your options and ensure you're making the right choice.

 

Top Content Services Platforms

Here are some of the best content services platforms today. Please note that the order that these platforms appear does not reflect our opinion of their performance.

OpenText Enterprise Information Management (EIM)

OpenText is one of the top content services platforms on the market today. The company's EIM platform features should virtually meet every organization's needs. Not only does OpenText EIM provide the usual CMS functionality and productivity tools like workflow management, search integration, and more, it also has an intuitive interface. The platform is mobile-friendly and can be used on the cloud. OpenText supports APIs and integrates with other applications easily. Also, OpenText EIM has tons of security provisions, so you never have to worry about the safety of your data. This platform also provides analytics and insight that can help you optimize the operations in your organization.

Alfresco

Alfresco is an open-source content services platform that is just as good as many closed source ECM platforms available today. Alfresco has been around since 2005 and stands out for its flexibility, performance, and incredible support. It has all the standard features that you will find on other content services platforms such as cloud compatibility, open APIs, information governance, analytics, and reporting, plus so much more. Alfresco works with open standards such as WebDAV, CMIS, and CIFS.  This content services platform also offers a Business Process Management (BPM) engine called Activi, while providing 24/7 customer support.

FileCloud

FileCloud is built to support extended team collaboration across a wide range of devices, including mobile phones. FileCloud comes with an array of integrated tools that help you collaborate on content in real-time — including through real-time notes and co-editing of files through office suite integration. FileCloud doesn’t compromise when it comes to your security and ensures the best services to clients.

How FileCloud’s CCM supports better team collaboration:

How FileCloud enables phenomenal digital experiences:

SharePoint

SharePoint is a product of Microsoft. This content services platform has been around for nearly two decades and has gone through lots of improvements since it was first launched. One of the main advantages of SharePoint is that it can be easily be integrated with other Microsoft productivity tools like Office 365, OneDrive and Exchange. It is suitable for both small and large organizations. SharePoint can be used on the cloud and is can highly be customized. This is one of the best content services platforms for organizations that depend on a lot of collaboration. One of the main criticisms of SharePoint is that it is not very easy to use. However, once you figure out how it works, you won't have any issues.

Box

Box is a cloud-based content services platform that is integrated with machine learning to improve efficiency and provide actionable insights. The platform supports APIs so you can customize it to serve your organization better. It can be integrated with apps such as Salesforce, Slack, and NetSuite. Box comes with lots of security provisions and governance policies to ensure your data is not compromised. Box is mobile friendly. It supports collaboration, administrative control and more. Box is usually compared to cloud storage platforms like Dropbox. However, it is also a great content services platform.

Hyland's OnBase

OnBase by Hyland is a comprehensive content services platform that provides everything your organization needs to be productive. It provides all the tools you need to coordinate all your activities from one platform. It supports APIs and allows you to automate processes. It also provides data analytics to allow you to maximize productivity. One of the main perks of choosing Hyland's OnBase is that you can customize it to suit your business regardless of the sector that you operate in. You also get access to technical support.

By Team FileCloud