![\"Investigating](\"https:\/\/solutionsreview.com\/content-management\/files\/2023\/08\/Investigating-the-Enterprise-Content-Management-DIY-Build-vs.-Buy-Dilemma-768x384.jpg\")
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As part of Solutions Review\u2019s\u00a0Contributed Content Series<\/a>\u2014a collection of articles written by industry thought leaders in maturing software categories\u2014<\/span><\/span>Brian DeWyer, the CTO and Co-Founder of <\/span><\/span>Reveille Software<\/span><\/span><\/a>, delves into the build vs. buy debate surrounding enterprise content management (ECM) solutions.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Build vs. Buy? For enterprise software, this question has perplexed IT staffers for many years. The correct answer is wrapped in a problem of advantages and disadvantages that vary depending on each unique circumstance. Building your software brings a high degree of customization that tailors it to your company’s needs. When longevity is considered, the costs are lower because there are no licensing fees. By contrast, buying software brings a solution to your organization faster, can embed comprehensive domain knowledge, and include best practices that your in-house IT staff doesn’t possess. <\/span>Adobe<\/span><\/a> lists the most <\/span>important considerations when deciding to build or buy software as the following:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The build vs. buy decision must be weighed when managing an Enterprise Content Management (ECM) application stack. Your organization likely employs standard application and infrastructure management tools offered by companies such as Splunk, NewRelic, IBM, Broadcom, Dynatrace, Nagios, Zappo, and Microsoft. These monitoring tools are vital for modern-day enterprises. This leads to an option to take a DIY approach (i.e., build in-house ECM monitors). Be forewarned, though; your IT operations will be challenged when developing and maintaining genuinely effective solutions for ECM.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ECM applications are the backbone of many digital document processes. They serve as a hub for thousands of users accessing repositories and interacting with an organization’s valuable digital assets. The magnitude of user activity generates an immense amount of document transactions. The importance of managing ECM user activity cannot be overstated. Companies choosing to build their own ECM Monitoring Solution must consider these four factors before embarking on this custom coding journey.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Building ECM monitors from scratch requires investment in development resources. To successfully design and implement monitoring functionalities, it is essential to have proficient developers who possess a deep understanding of ECM system architecture, interfaces, and stack. Creating a development team entails allocating resources for salaries, benefits, recruitment costs, and the required hardware and software infrastructure. Companies must also consider the staff to produce and maintain such monitors because the software requires a team with specialized knowledge of multiple ECM systems and monitoring best practices. <\/span><\/p>\n\n
Making The ECM “Buy” Case<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Development Knowledge Gap and Costs <\/span><\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Download](\"https:\/\/solutionsreview.com\/business-process-management\/files\/2019\/02\/bpm-speedbump.jpg\")
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