The content services platform is a tool that integrates the components, applications, services, and tools in a single framework. It provides interfaces to access every component in the framework.
Gartner is one of the leading firms in the industry to enable organizations to make smarter and faster decisions. It published a research report in December 2016 entitled “Reinventing ECM: Introducing Content Services Platforms and Applications.”
In this report, they have replaced the term “Enterprise Content Management (ECM)” with “Content Services Platform (CSP)”. They have stated that ECM “no longer reflects market dynamics or the organizational needs for content in digital business.”
With that said, what exactly is a Content Services Platform, and how is it different from Enterprise Content Management?
What is a Content Services Platform?
Content services are a set of services and microservices that can embody an integrated product suite. It can also be separate applications that share standard APIs and repositories. These all work together to work with diverse content types.
Hence, content services platforms overall help organizations deliver content lifecycle management. This includes:
- Document management
- Workflow management
- Business process automation
- Data capture and indexing
- Data classification and categorization
- Analytics
- Data archiving and disposal
With content services platforms, users can directly interact with the content made available within the user interface of the process app. Implementing your content marketing strategy using the content services platform is easy.
These platforms also usually manage content in a way that is automatically classified based on the related process. This makes it easier to organize content properly. Aside from that, content is also enriched with additional metadata from the lead application. This provides context to the content and improves its value to the organization.
Difference Between Content Services Platforms and Enterprise Content Management
Enterprise Content Management has always aimed to achieve many content-related processes and goals using a centralized platform. On the other hand, Content Services Platforms approach the same goal with a different strategy. Instead of a centralized platform, CSP focused on creating strategies to achieve the same goals.
CSP focuses on service-oriented processes over content-oriented processes. It connects all information sources instead of having everything placed in one storage.
A CSP can also be customized. It allows users to store, view, edit, and interact with data and content in whatever way they wish to.
The main difference between the two is how they approach the same goal. ECM focuses on a singular system that has centralized storage. CSP focuses on multiple strategies and integrated technology.
| Content Service Provider (CSP) | Enterprise Content Management (ECM) |
| It integrates multiple business tools that provide multiple access points. | ECM software is used when multiple repositories are used, and there must be a common area for users to access information. |
| It provides a cloud-based solution for storage and integration. | It provides a seamless, rich, contextual view of all enterprise data in one place. |
| CSP software offers scalable, flexible, low-code, or no-code. | Utilizing ECM software when deciding whether to upgrade individual repositories or massively repair your content marketing strategy. |
| It integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) into your business process. | It is an alternative solution when your system is incompatible with current CSP software. |
Key Features of Content Services Platforms You Need to Look For
1. Scalable
Content is an integral part of any business; it’s constantly growing. Businesses focus on creating content for their consumers and audiences every day, so your CSP should be able to handle all of this.
When talking about content, we’re talking about potentially billions of files. Creating content involves many files because it goes through multiple revisions and edits. Final content also involves lots of variations for different target audiences. It may also involve a lot of file formats because content tends to be repurposed.
Overall, your CSP should be able to store all of this data. It is an integral part of any CSP to be scalable.
2. Cloud-Native
Nowadays, everyone stays connected through the cloud. Collaboration of users is made possible, no matter their location, because of the cloud. Businesses took a while to migrate from traditional systems to cloud-based solutions. But it has been proven that cloud-based solutions are important to stay ahead of the competition.
This also applies to your CSP. It should be able to fully leverage cloud-based storage, databases, scalability, and web-based services. It should also help users navigate their way around easily. Finally, it should make it convenient for them to configure settings in ways that would help their workflow.
3. Flexible
Content nowadays isn’t constricted to only long blocks of text. It now stretches to images, videos, infographics, and many more. Different target audiences prefer types of content. It is also more efficient for them to consume a specific content type than others. Your Content Services Platform should be able to keep up with that.
Integrating a wide variety of file types is an important feature of CSPs. You must be able to work with whatever file type you need for your content.
4. Connectivity
There are a lot of people who are constantly collaborating and working together to create content for a business. These minds all work together to bring quality content to businesses. Your Content Services Platform should be able to handle connecting any authorized user to any content or data system throughout the business.
It should be able to create a system that connects multiple applications and systems, whether on-premises or cloud-based. This gives access to users anytime and anywhere, making collaboration smoother, more convenient, and more efficient.
5. AI-Powered
Artificial intelligence has come a very long way. It has now been integrated into a lot of our daily processes. It has also become an important addition to a lot of business processes. It helps users become more effective, efficient, and productive because repetitive tasks can be given to AI.
This should also apply to your CSP. Your CSP should be able to integrate and take advantage of AI and machine learning capabilities in content management. It should be able to deliver streamlined automation of processes that used to be done manually.
This will help free users from tedious and repetitive processes. Ultimately, it helps increase productivity because they can focus on more complex and demanding tasks. And these should be all possible through the cloud to facilitate effective collaboration.
6. Personalized
One of the biggest barriers to personalization is the users’ lack of coding knowledge. You’ll need a good foundation in coding if you want to personalize an interface fully. And this becomes a problem because many users are used to working in a specific way. So how can we solve that?
Your CSP should be able to adjust to each user’s needs since everyone is used to a specific workflow. It helps them work more smoothly and efficiently. It also helps them settle into the system much faster.
And users should be able to do this without needing in-depth coding knowledge. Many CSPs now have drag-and-drop features so users can personalize their interfaces. Make sure that yours has that feature as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are content services?
Content services are a set of services and microservices, included either as an integrated product suite or as separate components that share common APIs and repositories to explore diverse content types and serve multiple categories and numerous use cases across an organization.
What is an online content service?
An online content service is a utility that delivers content to users through devices like laptops, electronic gadgets, and other personal devices via the internet. The content is provided online and accessed through an online content service.
What is ECM software?
Enterprise Content Management (ECM) software manages the entire lifecycle of an organization’s content, from the beginning of the project until it is delivered to the client. It includes documents, spreadsheets, legal documents, and images. ECM software is sometimes referred to as document management or records management.
What are the features of ECM?
ECM features include streamlining access to documents, allowing organizations to eliminate redundancy, and minimizing operational overhead. Other features are
– Business flow automation.
– Document management.
– Record management.
– Workflow.
– Forms.
– Information security.
How does a content service platform boost traffic?
A content service platform provides services that integrate all the tools and software you use in your organization. All the files and applications are stored in a central repository for easy access. It is easy to implement your content marketing strategies and get results.
Key Takeaway
Content Services Platform is the new and evolved Enterprise Content Management. It aims to achieve the same goals but uses different strategies. Instead of relying on a single centralized platform, CSPs focus on multiple strategies and integrated technology.
The key features of Content Services Platforms that you should always look out for are the following:
- Scalable
- Cloud-native
- Flexible
- Connectivity
- AI-powered
- Personalized
These features will help you make sure that you’ll get the most out of your CSP. If you’re planning to get a CSP, ensure these features are present.
Overall, a Content Service Platform is an awesome tool for managing, organizing, and archiving content. It’s a worthwhile investment as your business grows because your content is what keeps your business growing.
