Executive Summary
This white paper examines the issues associated with selecting the appropriate implementing organization for Enterprise Content Management (ECM) applications. Three candidate implementation options are presented: (1) using internal resources, (2) contracting the product vendor for professional services, and (3) engaging an independent system integrator. For the purposes of this comparison, three typical ECM application projects are defined, ranging from a relatively simple implementation of the out-of-the-box software to a highly complex business application with multiple legacy system integration points.
The analysis of these options examines factors such as cost, product knowledge, industry experience, and technical experience with a range of products and applications. The findings are that any of the three implementation options are viable for implementing the simple out-of-the-box applications, while option 3, engaging an independent system integrator, offer the best value for implementing moderate- to high-complexity ECM solutions.
