European companies fail to unlock the value of unstructured content

According to the report, two-thirds of senior IT decision makers across Europe claim to have unstructured data managed, or at least are making significant inroads to do so. Yet when it comes to making decisions, 60% admit to having too much, or too buried, information. However, 63% of European businesses say email as their primary source for managing unstructured content, and 86% also use it as the main method for sharing content, and use it for making decisions. Oracle believes the term ‘unstructured content’ is widely misunderstood. But it also concludes that users have adopted a piecemeal approach to content management, because the average number of content management systems per organisation is 4.28, with just over half now looking towards a consolidation plan. This raises the question, says the software giant, as to whether European organisations understand that unstructured content is an enterprise-wide issue requiring an enterprise-wide solution. Javier Cabrerizo, senior director, enterprise content and collaboration services at Oracle, says that if the respondents that are currently piloting/planning content-management systems are taking an enterprise-wide approach to content management, which roughly two-thirds claim, then they will begin to realise real competitive advantage from unstructured content, asserts Oracle – if this is combined with best-practice procedures and processes. “This survey just goes to show how varied the attitudes, perceptions and approaches towards content management vary across Europe,” he says. “What the report shows is that half of European companies see that managing unstructured content in its multiple formats is critical for their business continuity and productivity. “At the same time it shows that there are very clearly identified barriers today: email is over-used for managing content; a departmental approach to content management creates difficulties for sharing content between groups; flexible Web 2.0 type tools are seen as very relevant for dynamic environments. “Oracle’s task is to show companies how a strategic and infrastructure-based approach, as opposed to a piecemeal or departmental approach, can provide significant benefits in the form of increased productivity and better risk control,” concludes Cabrerizo.