Consider this buyer's guide the only one you need to decide which is the best enterprise content management (ECM) software for your business.

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According to research, 73% of organizations have a content marketing strategy in place. But can they really handle the HUGE library of information with just that?

Some probably do. But for those who struggle with it, there's a better way to streamline your document management.

Through ECM, you can organize and edit unstructured content quickly, improving business efficiency and reducing costs. In fact, organizations worldwide lose an average of 21% of their productivity to inefficient content management.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. We're not fans of spoilers. So go ahead and start reading about what ECM is, the best options for your business, and key tips for choosing your solution.

What is Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Software?

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) software is a comprehensive system that helps organizations capture, store, manage, and deliver unstructured content and documents throughout their lifecycle, enabling secure access, collaboration, and compliance across the enterprise.

It allows authorized users to access different types of content like meeting notes, web pages, images, PDFs, emails, and invoices from a centralized platform.

ECM platforms are particularly valuable for regulated industries like healthcare—which must comply with more than 600 regulatory requirements—financial services, and manufacturing where audit trails and compliance are critical.

There are a few common types of ECM:

• Document Management Systems (DMS) which focus on storing and managing digital content.

• Records Management Systems for managing the lifecycle of records, including creation and retention.

• Digital Asset Management (DAM) Systems that help take care of digital content such as images, videos, or audio files.

With the global ECM market estimated to grow in revenue ($114 billion by the end of 2035) this is the right moment to invest in ECM.

But how exactly does it work?

Types of ECM software

While ECM is a broad category, it often includes several specialized systems. Understanding these types can help you pinpoint your exact needs. Common types include:

• Document Management Systems (DMS): These focus on the day-to-day management of digital documents, including version control, storage, and retrieval.

• Records Management Systems (RMS): RMS platforms are built for governance, managing the entire lifecycle of official company records from creation to archival or deletion, ensuring compliance with retention policies.

• Digital Asset Management (DAM) Systems: DAMs specialize in storing, organizing, and retrieving rich media content like images, videos, and audio files.

Many modern ECM platforms combine features from all three to provide a comprehensive solution.

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What Are the Benefits of Using ECM Software?

Unfortunately, the average worker spends around 20% of their workweek searching for the info they need or bothering their busy colleagues.

If only they had a solution that could significantly raise their productivity and enable more effective collaboration…

Wait, there is one! Its name is content management. And it helps you:

• Boost company efficiency: Eliminates paper documents and provides instant data access for faster workflows. Research shows that using collaborative technologies like ECM can raise the productivity of knowledge workers by 20 to 25 percent.

• Access your data faster: Centralized search means no more hunting through multiple systems for information.

• Improve customer experiences: Enables quick retrieval of customer information, orders, and product details.

• Reduce labor costs: Automates manual tasks and eliminates the need for specialized document management staff.

• Create a single source of truth: Consolidates all business information for better data-driven decisions.

Maybe these benefits convinced you that ECM is the right solution for your business. That's great! The problem is, where do you start? What features do you keep an eye out for? 👀

Let's look at an ECM's essential features together.

How Does Enterprise Content Management Work?

ECM's purpose is simple. It eliminates the need for paper documents and helps streamline your business processes.

Think of it as your central repository for all your company's information. This solution works day and night to automate your data flow and organize the info outside your structured databases.

ECM systems follow a structured workflow:

• Data Collection: Automatically captures content from emails, PDFs, images, and other sources

• Storage & Indexing: Centralizes all content with searchable metadata and custom categorization

• Access Control: Manages who can view, edit, or delete specific content based on permissions

• Version Management: Tracks changes and maintains document history with clear audit trails

Another great way ECM simplifies your life is through workflow automation. It automates boring tasks such as data entry. Your employees will focus more on time-sensitive tasks while receiving the right info when they need it most. A searchable record of knowledge can reduce, by as much as 35 percent, the time employees spend searching for company information.

This all sounds fine and dandy but what's the payoff? See for yourself.

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ECM vs. Other Content Management Systems

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is often confused with other types of content systems, but each serves a distinct purpose and manages different kinds of information.

ECM

Primary Focus: Enterprise-wide unstructured content
Content Scope: Documents, emails, contracts, and multimedia

ECM systems manage the entire lifecycle of organizational content—from creation and collaboration to archiving and compliance—ensuring secure access and governance across departments.

CMS

Primary Focus: Web content publishing
Content Scope: Website pages, blogs, and digital publications

A Content Management System (CMS) is designed to manage and publish content for websites and digital experiences, making it ideal for marketing and external communications.

ERP

Primary Focus: Structured business transactions
Content Scope: Financial records, inventory, and HR data

An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system manages structured, transactional data that supports core business functions such as accounting, supply chain, and human resources.

In short, ECM focuses on unstructured enterprise content, CMS handles public-facing web content, and ERP manages structured operational data. Each plays a vital role in a company’s information ecosystem.

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What Key Features Should an ECM Solution Have?

When evaluating an ECM solution, there are plenty of things to consider, like ease of use or whether it offers free trials or not.

As long as you know your needs and requirements, it's pretty easy to find the right solution.

But there are a few must-have features you shouldn't skip:

• Integration capabilities: Connects with existing tools via APIs to create a unified information hub.

• Advanced search: Provides fast, intelligent search across all content types and sources.

• Security and compliance: Enforces role-based access controls and meets industry regulatory requirements.

• Version control: Tracks document changes, maintains edit history, and enables rollback functionality.

• Workflow automation: Automates document routing, approvals, and lifecycle management processes.

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• Powerful analytics: Your chosen ECM needs powerful analytics tools that can measure and evaluate your data quickly. It provides you with relevant insights, such as suggestions for improvement and customer trends, for better decision-making.

Now that you know what to look for in your ECM solution, it's time for the main section of this article.

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The 10 Best ECM Software Solutions in 2024

So many tools, so little time to evaluate them all. 😮‍💨

According to a Forrester report, there are 14 ECM products with >$20 million in revenue. But that is four too many — we made sure our list only included the best of the best.

Let's explore these options together.

1. Guru

Guru is your company’s AI Source of Truth—a governed knowledge platform that connects all your tools, documents, and conversations into one trusted layer of truth. It delivers verified, permission-aware answers directly inside your existing workflows, so your teams always have the right information exactly when they need it.

Instead of switching between apps, Guru meets you where you work—with deep integrations for Slack, Microsoft Teams, Chrome, Salesforce, Box, and more. Every answer comes from verified company knowledge, ensuring accuracy and compliance at scale.

Guru’s built-in verification workflows automatically flag and archive outdated content, keeping your knowledge current without the manual upkeep. And with AI-powered authoring and summarization, teams can capture new knowledge, draft content, or explain complex topics in seconds—all grounded in your company’s verified context.

Behind the scenes, Guru continuously learns from usage patterns to surface the most relevant answers, insights, and gaps—helping your organization improve knowledge quality over time. With comments, reactions, and team collaboration features, Guru turns your company’s knowledge into an active, trusted system that grows smarter with every interaction.

Ready to see it in action? Watch our on-demand demo video to learn how Guru connects everything your teams know—and makes it accessible everywhere work happens.

2. DocuWare

DocuWare provides a user-friendly digital document management solution for small businesses and large enterprises in multiple industries.

Source: Capterra‍

It's a workflow-automation software tool that secures your business documents and optimizes your operational processes, no matter where you are or what device you're using. Which makes it a good solution for remote teams that want to improve their productivity.

DocuWare prides itself on its secure document archiving. All your employee data, financial records, and contracts are safe from harm. So, you avoid the risk of someone stealing your data or losing it.‍

This ECM also supports both cloud and on-site deployments so it fits with any kind of system. Plus, DocuWare tightly organizes all data, enabling a better and more productive workspace.

Since it's so flexible, it integrates with 500 different business applications, including Oracle, SharePoint, and QuickBooks.

3. M-Files

M-Files is an AI-driven knowledge management tool that helps teams find information faster and more efficiently.

Source: G2

This platform has a unique feature called metadata-driven architecture. In a nutshell, it makes file sharing easier. Your team can find any document they need without a lengthy search.

Moreover, M-Files gives you access controls over your documents (even for different versions of the same file) based on role or group.

But it also automates your workflows. M-Files' document metadata keeps track of your tasks and helps you communicate better with internal or external stakeholders about what they need to do.

The tool has no-code document automation scalability, which means it can be up and running quickly. And don't worry — it integrates with plenty of tools you use daily, such as Adobe, DocuSign, Google Workspace, SAP, and network folders.

4. Laserfiche

Laserfiche is a cloud-based ECM platform that says 'goodbye' to paper documents and welcomes process automation.

Source: G2

With this modern solution, you can centralize your content and boost your team's productivity. All while keeping your data safe and secure from cyber breaches. Plus, Laserfiche maintains regulatory compliance.

Since you use a single source of truth, everyone is using the same data, no matter their level of access. Through version tracking and advanced search, you enjoy a better and more intuitive collaboration between your teams.

Laserfiche helps you retain and manage documents throughout the entire content lifecycle. By using detailed audit logs and strict permissions, only authorized personnel can view, edit, or access files.

This tool also has quick search and retrieval functionalities, which translates into boosted productivity and improved processes.

Laserfiche offers different integration options, including DocuSign, Microsoft Office 365, and customer relationship management (CRM) tools.

5. OnBase

OnBase by Hyland offers business process and case management tools that help you efficiently manage and organize your content.

Source: G2

OnBase is an intelligent ECM solution that collects data from multichannel sources. The good part is that it also verifies and classifies the information so you can use it as soon as it's assimilated.

Moreover, OnBase analyzes your content in real time through visual reports and dashboards. What do you get? The necessary visibility to make better and more informed decisions.

But this solution also automates repeatable tasks via customizable forms and built-in workflows.

Through co-authoring, tasks, and notifications, OnBase makes file sharing as easy as pie. Plus, everything's secure, so you have better, worry-free collaboration between teammates.

OnBase plays nicely with plenty of existing systems. Think Google, PeopleSoft, Epic, and MuleSoft, for example.

6. Box

Box, a secure cloud content services platform, focuses heavily on keeping your files safe through intelligent threat detection, advanced security, and granular access control.

But since compliance and security go hand in hand, Box also has strict data privacy and industry compliance. That's not all — by harnessing the power of machine learning, Box can detect threats and set policies.

Source: G2

This easy-to-use platform also enables seamless collaboration between your teams. Through file annotation, e-signatures, and automated task flow, you can work from anywhere, on any device.

Plus, Box proactively works to simplify manual workflows to save you time. Things like document capture and new-hire onboarding, which are vital to your business (but oh so boring) become faster and easier to handle.

Box lets you stay connected with all your favorite tools, as it integrates with apps like Adobe, Oracle, Okta, IBM, Slack, and Zoom.

7. OpenText

OpenText is a smarter way to manage and gain precious insights from your content.

Source: OpenText

In essence, OpenText is an information management platform suitable for many industries, including automotive, banking, insurance, life sciences, and legal.

That's why it's a great solution for handling legal information. It centralizes all private documents spread across disconnected systems into a single source of truth. As a result, you have high-value data at hand, which greatly improves your productivity.

But OpenText also has a flexible content services platform ideal for handling large volumes of data efficiently. Moreover, through its ECM services, you can deliver more operational excellence. And build a bridge between your workspace and important tools like CRM, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and human capital management (HCM).

OpenText has integration solutions for Microsoft, Salesforce, and SAP.

8. Hyland

Hyland's content solution platform connects various kinds of data with all your business systems, workflows, and tools.

Source: G2

Hyland is a solution filled with useful features. First of all, it has intelligent content capture that uses artificial intelligence to collect incoming company information. What's more, it makes that data useful and accessible, regardless of the source, type, or state.

Secondly, Hyland has native process automation features that connect your workflows and systems into one seamless point of information.

With secure data governance, this solution makes sure your data obeys the strictest compliance laws (in industries like healthcare, education, insurance, etc.). Hyland protects your critical data from cybersecurity threats and loss.

Last but not least, Hyland is available in 500+ unique applications, including Workday, SharePoint, Cognizant, DocuSign, Accela, etc.

9. Microsoft's SharePoint

Microsoft SharePoint is an intranet platform and document management software tool that deals with traditional, web, and social content.

Source: Microsoft

One of its best features is that you can access it from different devices such as computers, phones, and tablets. You have all the information and files you need in a single place to empower teamwork and collaboration.

But it also finds the information you need quickly through powerful search features. This way, SharePoint boosts your productivity by changing the way you work, from simple tasks like document approval to more complex flows.

When it comes to documents, this tool lets you download, edit, and share your files. But it also keeps a log of who made changes, as well as allowing you to download different versions of the same doc.

SharePoint integrates with the Microsoft 365 suite, including Field Service, Customer Service, Marketing, and Project Service Automation.

10. IBM Business Automation Workflow

Last on our list (but well worth checking out) is IBM, an AI-powered ECM tool that automates your business processes.

Source: G2

Through Watson — IBM's AI assistant — you can solve any challenge thrown your way. And get a 360-degree view of your business operations.

Moreover, IBM helps you build content management solutions for handling use cases, designing better workflows, and capturing valuable insights that lead to better business outcomes.

This ECM program unites your disconnected information into one workflow solution ideal for cloud, hybrid, and on-site deployment. How? Through process management and collaboration features that makes managing data easier and more convenient.

IBM offers core library services that can handle documents and files more efficiently. Plus, it has secure file sharing and a powerful search that makes finding the insights you need a breeze.

How to Choose an ECM System for Your Organization

Like every other tool in your business, an ECM system must be carefully considered. It might be easier to choose one that sounds good, but you don't want to end up with a solution you dislike. And which simply doesn't do its job.

So, after evaluating your objectives, goals, and current needs, look for an ECM tool that:

• Securely stores content: We've highlighted throughout the article the importance of keeping your data safe. You shouldn't compromise when seeking a tool that takes security, privacy, and compliance seriously, especially if you work in heavily regulated industries where non-compliance is costly—for example, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has imposed monetary penalties totaling over $135 million for violations.

• Integrates with existing systems: It's tiresome to keep switching from one tool to another. Your chosen ECM platform should seamlessly integrate with your existing tools — and do so without disrupting your other operations.

• Is flexible and scalable: The ECM tool needs to help you find the info you seek whenever you need it, no matter where you store your data. But, more importantly, it should fit your workflows like a glove and be able to adapt to your growing needs.

• Offers easy access: It shouldn't be hard to find the information you seek. The right ECM platform is easy to use and intuitive, which means it needs to have a drag-and-drop interface for better user experiences and customizable workflows that support collaboration.

• Has powerful analytics tools: You need to know whether the tool is doing its job or not. It's best to look for an ECM that has visual reports, dashboards, and analytics that give a good view of your business processes. And help you make data-driven decisions.

The Bottom Line

It's up to you to decide which is the best ECM software for your business. We hope that this buyer's guide nudged you in the right direction. And that you're feeling more ready to tackle this challenge head-on.

AND — here's an idea — you can start this new adventure by trying Guru for free. ‍