As industry continues the transition from the information age to the knowledge age, the strategic utilization of existing information is emerging as a critical determining factor in the success or failure of organizations now and beyond. The information markets of the knowledge age will be defined by how rich and content specific the information needs to be, and also how quickly that information can be made available in a usable form. Whether your information goals rely on a generic common body of knowledge or up-to-the-minute and highly focused content streams, rethinking your organization’s information management capabilities will greatly improve your ability to make critical decisions for success.

As noted in the McKinsey Quarterly, “Every company is sitting on a vast storehouse of knowledge, but much of it is underused. The application of knowledge that is already in hand is the fastest and most direct way of using knowledge to influence the company’s bottom line.” In other words, information is fast becoming the most valuable commodity in the new global markets, and those organizations that can manage their knowledge resources will have the leading competitive edge.

Simply having an elaborate information technology system to gather and stockpile information is not enough. Innovative and creative information management is the next step in turning that information into valuable knowledge. Advances in information technology systems have increased the size and scope of information capability to the point where much of the information that is key for making critical strategic decisions is gone and buried long before it can be used effectively. In order for an organization to turn the vast amounts of information it has accumulated into valuable knowledge, the right information must be brought to the right place at the right time.

Knowledge is information that has both meaning and purpose. In order to have a stable footing in the knowledge age, organizations need to consider the purpose of the knowledge and how to strategically leverage their information technologies to generate knowledge needed for making the critical decisions necessary for a sustainable competitive advantage. Therefore, strategic content management is the key to success in the future.

A strategic content management system by Virticle is the first step towards putting your organization in the fast lane while your competition sits idle in the congestion of the information super highway. WhyVirticle? It’s very simple. At the heart of Virticle’s content management system, is synergy. A popular misconception is that synergy is simply a blending and routing of information from multiple integrated sources into one general “functional” database. Virticle’s content management system, takes that function to the next step with a strategic balance between the scope of the knowledge market, knowledge market growth, and the processes of managing the distinct information segments as outlined in the Information Market Perceptual Map developed by Virticle.

The Information Market Perceptual Map illustrates the core concept of strategic content management. This perceptual map is determined by the customers’ information criteria of how information needs to be organized, where it needs to go, and when it needs to be accessible in a usable form. Based on the criteria of information precision and accessibility, it is easy to see the distinct information segments of each organization. The content management system that Virticle will design for you will enable you to strategically maximize your leveraging capabilities in each information segment, which will give your organization an unrivaled competitive edge.

Information Segment Perceptual Map

The growth of the Internet and the increased volume of Web pages are entering an age called “The Content Explosion.” With the increased sophistication of Web-based tools, the purpose and production of Web sites will change over the next few years. In the beginning most Web sites were no more than an online brochure. Over time they have turned into complex applications designed to reach targeted users with specific needs. These applications have changed the way established organizations operate and forces them to focus on a new type of business called e-business.

Building Web sites has been a challenge for many organizations. There are two avenues organizations use to manage their Web site, either by using in-house resources or outsourcing. Growth, software proliferation, and huge volumes of new information make the traditional organizations challenged with the management of their Web site. Organizations need to work in “Internet time.” To make their Web sites deliver real value, organizations are forced to spend a large amount of their time and resources on upgrading the content and business enabling applications on their Web sites.

Content Management Systems (CMSs) allow non-technical content contributors to submit content using tools such as Microsoft Office, a Web browser or wireless devices. An organization can focus on the creation and arrangement of content to their Web site and create an effective experience for a new customer or current customer. They do this by allowing the workflow of contributors to work together to deliver rich content and business applications to the Web. A Web site can become a content-rich application. Content is key to an effective user experience. The most successful organizations concentrate on creating a new model for their customer interaction on the Web. CMS solutions can streamline this process by moving content to the user while allowing it to be targeted to the needs of the user.

Remember any one, at any time can view your Web site throughout the world. What do you want them to see?

Virticle’s content-driven e-business solutions provide a great value for your organization to reach a broad base of users and allows your organization to address marketing, selling, and support for your products and services. Deployed effectively, these applications are the key to developing and delivering content-rich Web applications from you to your end-user.

Value of a CMS

The value of a content management system can reflect in many areas throughout an organization. From your marketing, public relations, human resources, product development departments and customer relationship management, keeping fresh and accurate information flow to your web site is a critical process in today’s business.

Most Webmasters/IT Departments have been burdened with the task of keeping Web content up-to-date daily or monthly, and this can be a very time consuming process. Engaging in daily or monthly repetitive tasks of content updates takes your IT staff away from critical work. Giving your organization’s content creators the ability to update content and information flow on your Web site helps alleviate the all-knowing “bottleneck” that many organizations experience. And giving your business professionals the tools and expertise to manage their own areas of expertise allows them to target information to key audiences.

These stressful factors of IT management often cause many organizations to outsource their Web work, which can result in a high cost over time. A content management system can enable faster, less expensive content updates which in return will increase content accuracy, quality, and value.

Being able to create and update content quickly, empowering business professionals to manage their own areas of expertise will allow targeting information to key audiences.
With these factors playing into every organization’s business process, many will turn to outsourcing, which can result in a high cost over time.

Virticle’s solutions for content management and strategy processes can help your organization identify more affordable approaches to IT management and streamline your information flow to the Web in a scalable and manageable way.