Across Southeast Asia, businesses are accelerating digital transformation, with Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems playing a critical role in this shift.
What’s driving this? Two things: Productivity gains and stricter regulatory environments.
What do ECM systems do, exactly?
The centralized management of information your organization creates – and by information we mean everything from emails, to HR documents, to financial statements – across every sector from healthcare and finance to telecommunications.
Paper-based systems have been cumbersome and costly, with lost or misfiled documents creating inefficiencies. But it’s not just a matter of paper; digital information is increasingly managed across numerous platforms that don’t interact with each other. ECM help consolidate all forms of records and information, even physical records that have been digitized. This oversight even by itself is invaluable.
What are the benefits for businesses?
- Centralized and secure access to information: ECMs provide businesses with a single digital repository. This allows employees to quickly retrieve records, improving productivity and reducing the time spent searching for information. According to McKinsey this is an extremely costly, with the average employee spending 28% of their managing email alone.
- Compliance with data-protection law: As mentioned, data-protection legislation across the region is now stricter and the penalties for noncompliance more severe. Organizations are now legally required to comply with notification requirements in the event of data breaches. ECM solutions help companies in the region meet these legal standards by providing tools for retention, deletion and secure access.
- Cost efficiencies: The costs associated with physical document storage are significant, especially for companies managing large volumes of records. ECM reduces these costs by digitizing documents and streamlining record-keeping, even if there is an initial investment associated with digitization.
- Gradual digital transformation: ECM adoption doesn’t require an all-or-nothing approach, which is ideal for the diverse and high-growth markets like those in Southeast Asia
How does adoption differ by industry?
In Southeast Asia, as elsewhere, ECM adoption is particularly robust within healthcare, finance, and telecommunications, driven by sector-specific needs and regulatory demands.
Healthcare providers rely on ECM systems to manage patient data securely, aligning with stringent regulations regarding data sensitivity. Data breaches in the healthcare sector are also particularly damaging given the sensitivity of the data involved, as was the case with the SingHealth data breach in 2018.
In finance, ECM supports compliance with regional and international financial regulations, while telecommunications companies use ECM to manage high data volumes typical of telecoms companies.
The ongoing shift to remote work is also a driver (as it is globally), with businesses in the region using ECM systems to support secure, cloud-based access for employees working from multiple locations, but it’s hard to put an exact number on this
How can my organization start digitally transforming records?
ECM solutions provide your best practical starting point. By digitizing essential records and organizing digital assets, you can create a structure to build on. Remember to start small, with a focus on high priority documents. This should be a foundation if you haven’t begun already. Don’t over-engineer things.
Learn more about Southeast Asia’s digital transformation journey:
Our comprehensive report explores the opportunities ECM brings to organizations across the region and offers actionable steps for those ready to begin their own transformation.
Download the full report and discover how ECM solutions are reshaping the future of information management in Southeast Asia.
