I know this sounds ominous, but have you ever wondered if there is more you can do with your content once it is captured? You likely have a set of metadata applied when you store the captured content, so you can find it in the future. There may be metadata used for retention and discovery. Yet, this information once used for its initial purpose, is often overlooked for additional use. Referred to as dark data, the result is a lost value in the information you have captured.
Uncovering dark data to connect transactional and textual data, improves business intelligence, and creates a more agile organization in decision-making, case management, and operational processes. Connecting transactional and textual data delivers a more complete view of relevant content, maximizing the value of your information, and bringing business intelligence to a new dimension.
In my view, many organizations focus on managing content for a specific reason with little consideration regarding additional use. In case management, the ideal situation would be for potentially relevant information to present itself to the case manager for consideration. In order for this to happen, there will be case profiles set, data captured that would be analyzed and matched to the profile and submitted for consideration. Unless you expose this data, the dark data, you will not be able to make this match.
I know this is only a sound bite but I hope it gets you thinking about extending the use and increasing the value of the content and information you capture. While there is a specific reason to capture it, ask yourself who else uses this information and how can you make it visible to them? Ask yourself if this information could be matched to a profile and be made through workflow, to present itself to the other potential users. It is not easy, but the reward can be significant. You never know what might be lurking in your dark data; it might just be gold.
What say you? Do you have a story to tell? What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you have a topic of interest you would like discussed in this forum? Let me know. If you are looking for some great research information from our industry, feel free to visit our research site and download some of our Industry Watch Reports today at www.aiim.org/research
Bob Larrivee, Director of Custom Research – AIIM
Email me: blarrivee@aiim.org
Follow me on Twitter – BobLarrivee
www.aiim.org/training
I will be speaking at the following events:
• Automated Document Conversion Seminarby Adlib, March 20, 1024 in Chicago, IL
• 2014 AIIM Conference, April 1-3, 2014 in Orlando, FL
• Fusion 2014, May 5-8, 2014 in Dallas, TX
• Share 2014, June 18-20, 2014 in Johannesburg, SA
• NIRMA 2014, August 10-13, 2014 in Las Vegas, NV
#ScanningandCapture