Do you need enterprise content management, Web content management or a portal with built-in content management capabilities? Take this scenario-based approach to set priorities and choose the right technologies.

By Tony Byrne December 3, 2007

The lines between all content technology families are notoriously blurry. This is especially true of portals, Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems and Web Content Management (WCM) system, where there’s lots of overlap in vendors, product functionality, and marketing messages. For example, if you’re looking to implement Intranet-based document management, you could conceivably use any of these three types of products. Yet some consultancies will try to sell you all three types of solutions, with an obligatory (and expensive) integration project.

Take a scenario-based approach that solves your most pressing needs first. ECM, WCM and portals fill fairly specific roles and tend to address different problems. By understanding what you’re trying to accomplish, you can better identify the technologies you do and don’t need.

This article presents common content management scenarios that fall most appropriately into one of these three technologies camps. The idea is to distill the core of your business problem or opportunity and then build from there.

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