Gastbeitrag von John Mancini, Präsident des größten Verbandes für Dokumenten-Management, die Association for Information and Image Management, AIIM International.
With the specter of Y2K just a memory, and business Web sites up, humming and providing valuable information, the next big hurdle for companies across the globe is applying the “e” to business processes for a more efficient, profitable operation. Information from Forrester Research and Boston Consulting shows that business-to-business e-Business spending will grow from $843 billion in 2000 to $2.8 trillion in 2003. With the core technologies AIIM International represents providing the infrastructure of e-Business, AIIM is uniquely positioned to help user members understand and apply e-Business applications, and to connect them with the companies best suited to meet their needs.
The association is also positioned to help clear up confusion over emerging terms. The terms e-Business and e-Commerce are often used interchangeably. E-Commerce – the actual electronic buying or selling transaction, however, is just one part of the e-Business whole. AIIM defines e-Business as the use of web and Internet technologies to connect the extended enterprise – suppliers, customers, employees, and the channel. Organizations can do this by effectively managing, processing, distributing, interpreting, and analyzing an exploding volume of documents, content and images that come into the organization in a variety of ways. Referring to the e-Business Architecture graphic in this article, you will note that there are three views to e-Business: B2E – business to employee; B2C – business to consumer and B2B – business to business. The business-to-business portion of the market (example: www.Chemdex.com) is growing at 10 times the rate of the business-to-consumer (example: www.Amazon.com).
Abbildung 1: E-Business Architecture (Quelle: AIIM)
The graphic shows the use of browsers and portals to access information and data throughout the enterprise. Just a few of the most common e-Business applications are noted: customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply-chain management, accounting applications, and others.. But the true foundation of e-Business lies in the next layer of the architecture—the core technologies that manage the information and processes. Here is where the chaos of stovepipes of information throughout an organization are managed as well as web-based processes—from the front office to the back office. AIIM’s trade members are well represented in these mission-critical technologies: document and content management, image management, workflow, collaboration, and knowledge management.
Users face enormous challenges given the rapid changes in this industry. The challenge of maintaining and upgrading legacy systems, while simultaneously determining how to avail themselves of the new opportunities for information sharing and process improvement offered by the web and the Internet, is a major one.
With its history of providing quality, unbiased education on the information management industry, AIIM’s Web site is the natural place to start when looking for background and details on e-business and information management. Whether it’s line-of-business managers comparing products for solutions, vendors searching for channel partners, or press digging for background information to use in an article, the site registers 800,000 hits per month – and in the months leading to the annual expo and conference, that number takes a huge leap upward.
AIIM has several avenues for continuing to educate its members, of which the web is just one. Its annual events – this year in New York and Copenhagen – its new publication, e-doc, packed with information on the companies, products, issues, and emerging trends that come together to make up the e-Business industry – and its new regional roadshows, bring the information closer to the technology user.
The two main events – AIIM New York and AIIM Copenhagen – are expos and conferences that showcase products and services from hundreds of major vendors as well as the perspective of internationally-known speakers bringing industry solutions and topics into clear focus. As a driving force in document and information management, AIIM has always championed the advancement of core technologies Now, as these technologies also become the core of e-Business and the Internet itself, our events are reaching around the globe to bring buyers, sellers, developers, and users together.
The new magazine – e-doc – is a combination of AIIM’s North American publication, inform, and its European version, Document World. This new global publication will highlight articles and case studies addressing the challenges faced by users as they implement effective e-Business strategies. The issues that e-doc focuses on are those at the center of developing an effective e-Business infrastructure.
When you need, unbiased, neutral information and education on the core technologies and issues surrounding e-business, turn to AIIM at: www.aiim.org. John Mancini, President AIIM International
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