The Explosion of Next Generation Content
As businesses go digital, we see explosive growth in the volume and diversity of “next generation” content. However, next generation content in itself is not necessarily a new concept. Rather, it is where the content is created and how it needs to be managed, processed and analyzed that is evolving. Content is now created from many sources that had not existed until recently, such as drones, fitness and activity tracking devices, and portable digital devices like GoPro cameras. Enterprises that are transforming into digital businesses will be increasingly information driven and this content will need to be included to provide a competitive advantage.
The next generation of content will shift from “textual” and document-centric information to rich media content such as video, audio, and images. In fact, we expect that 90 percent of the new content will be rich media, with much of it consumed and shared across mobile devices.
Blurring the Lines Between Structured Data and Unstructured Content
The Internet of Things (IoT) revolution, which brings together the physical and digital worlds, adds to the huge amounts of both data and content created. IoT also blurs the lines between structured data and unstructured content as the information derived from both can increase the value of the application.
An IoT application such as an “intelligent” traffic camera can monitor and analyze live video content, even taking action to call emergency services in the case of an accident or changing traffic lights to optimize the flow of cars on the highway. It can recognize a license plate and determine if a car has violated traffic regulations or been stolen, while using advanced analytics on the necessary data and, if appropriate, saving the data for later investigation or analysis. Applications such as these reduce costs while optimizing the process without requiring human intervention.
Drones, or “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAV), which have become very popular and important sources of data, are now starting to go mainstream with commercial applications. For example, drones with Wi-Fi technology, combined with integrated cameras, are being used by utilities for transmission line monitoring and GIS mapping. Drones are also being used by oil and gas companies to monitor pipelines, storage tanks, and drillings sites, and in some cases, to create 3D maps. Additional applications include aerial photography for construction, news gathering, land surveys and security surveillance. All of these applications provide huge volumes of data which need to be stored, processed and analyzed to take advantage of the valuable information provided.
Sharing Information and Managing Different Types of Content
In the healthcare industry, digital transformation has reduced the volume of paper while increasing the variety of content ranging from electronic medical records (EMR) and patient admission documents to medical images. The challenges to sharing this information include breaking down information silos such as medical imaging content like DICOM, XDS and non-DICOM, managing disparate content types and providing seamless access. Addressing these challenges provides doctors and healthcare workers better access to patient information, improving the quality of care and medical processes. But the increasing demand for these healthcare services will also contribute significantly to the growth of content.
Indeed, all of these new forms of information gathering will generate a vast amount of content, especially as they continue to proliferate—similar to the growth and impact of smart phones in the past. In each case, their management requires new capabilities, such as classification and analytics, as well as streaming and interactive features, to work with a new era of content.
A Better User Experience for Customers and Workers
Managing the next generation content will lead to new content management solutions. The key will be the ability to handle the mix of traditional document-centric content with the newer rich media content and provide a platform to access, analyze and share it. The capture of this content will require easy ingestion from various sources, some of which may have connectivity through IoT devices or delivery through mobile devices. With access through lightweight interactive solutions with enabled workflow, next generation content will unlock a richer experience for workers and customers.
Dell EMC’s Enterprise Content Division (ECD) is a global leader in ECM applications, solutions and services that enable digital transformation. Managing critical content for almost 6,000 organizations for 25+ years, ECD uniquely unlocks the value of content, offers choice, and drives differentiated customer experience, while maintaining complete governance and trust. www.emc.com/ecm.
If you’re interested in learning more about next generation content and Dell EMC Enterprise Content Management technology, please visit www.emc-ecd.com for more ideas and opinions on content management trends and solutions.