What Is Enterprise Content Management?

Whether you're brand new to the concept or an IT professional evaluating platforms, this page breaks down what ECM is, why it matters, and what RVI does differently.

Think of it like a super-powered filing cabinet — that anyone can search in seconds.

Every business runs on documents. Invoices, contracts, employee records, purchase orders, scanned forms — they pile up fast. Most organizations either drown in paper or end up with files scattered across email inboxes, shared drives, and physical folders that nobody can find.

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is a system that puts all of those documents in one secure, organized place — and makes it easy for the right people to find exactly what they need, the moment they need it.

Think of it this way

Imagine your local library. Every book has a place, a label, and a catalog system so you can find anything in minutes. ECM does the same thing for your business documents — except it also lets you search by keyword, controls who can check things out, and keeps a log of every person who touched every file.

Document management overview

Sound Familiar?

Here are common document headaches — and how ECM fixes them.

Without ECM

"I can't find the invoice from last March. I've looked through three email threads and two shared folders."

With RVI ECM

Type the vendor name and date. The invoice appears in seconds — no digging required.

Without ECM

"We print everything, sign it, scan it back in, and email it around for approvals. It takes days."

With RVI ECM

Documents route automatically to the right people for approval. No printing, no scanning, no chasing. Approvals happen the same day.

Without ECM

"An auditor asked for all contracts from 2019–2021. We spent three days digging through boxes."

With RVI ECM

Run a search by document type and date range. Export the full set in minutes. Audit ready.

Without ECM

"Someone emailed a sensitive HR file to the wrong person by accident."

With RVI ECM

Permissions control who can see each document. Sensitive files are only visible to authorized staff, and every access is logged.

How Does It Work?

RVI handles your documents through four simple stages.

1
Capture

Documents come in from anywhere — a scanner, an email attachment, a printed report from your business system, or a file someone uploads. RVI brings them all in and reads them automatically.

2
Organize

RVI labels and files each document based on rules you set — by vendor, date, document type, customer, or anything else that makes sense for your business. No manual filing required.

3
Protect

Each document is stored securely. You decide who can view, edit, or share it. Every action is tracked so you always know who did what and when.

4
Find & Act

When someone needs a document, they search for it — just like a Google search. They can view it, approve it, sign it electronically, or send it, all from their browser.

Who Uses ECM?

ECM isn't just for large corporations. Any organization that deals with documents can benefit.

Businesses

Manufacturers, distributors, and service companies use ECM to manage purchase orders, invoices, HR records, and contracts without drowning in paper.

Government & Courts

County clerks, courts, and government agencies use ECM to store and retrieve public records quickly and meet legal retention requirements.

Healthcare

Hospitals and health centers use ECM to manage patient documents, reduce paper dependency, and meet compliance requirements.

Transportation & Logistics

Trucking companies use ECM to handle bills of lading, driver documents, and delivery records electronically — even from the road.

Banking & Finance

Banks use ECM to centralize loan files, compliance documents, and customer records in a secure, auditable system.

Any Document-Heavy Operation

If your team regularly hunts for files, chases approvals, or worries about who has access to sensitive information — ECM was built for you.

Common Questions

Not at all. RVI can pull documents automatically from your existing business systems, email, print queues, and network folders. Many customers find that most of their documents flow in with little to no manual effort after initial setup.
Yes. RVI is built to connect with IBM i (AS/400) business systems, Windows-based ERPs, accounting software, and more. Your team keeps working in the same programs they already know — RVI adds document access directly into those tools.
Most users are up and running with basic search and retrieval very quickly. The day-to-day experience — searching for and viewing documents — feels similar to using a web search engine. RVI also provides training and support throughout the process.
Very. You control exactly who can see, edit, or share each document or folder. Every action is logged with a timestamp and user record. Documents are encrypted in storage and in transit. Many of our customers operate in regulated industries where security and audit trails are required.
RVI can import your existing digital documents and help you migrate historical paper records through scanning. You don't lose your history — you make it searchable.
RVI is licensed per organization, not per user. That means your entire team — whether that's 10 people or 1,000 — can all have access without the cost increasing as your organization grows.

ECM: Technical Overview

Enterprise Content Management is a platform discipline covering the full lifecycle of unstructured content — from ingestion and classification through storage, process automation, retrieval, and disposition. RVI implements all five core AIIM ECM pillars: Capture, Manage, Store, Preserve, and Deliver.

Capture & Ingestion

Multi-channel input: spool/print stream capture (IBM i output queues), MFP/scanner integration, email ingestion, watched folder rules, EDI, and REST API. OCR, barcode, and zone-based recognition drive auto-indexing pipelines.

Workflow & BPM

Rule-based routing engine supports sequential, parallel, and conditional approval chains. Escalation paths, SLA timers, delegation rules, and event-driven triggers. eSignature integration included.

Search & Retrieval

Metadata index search, full-text search across OCR'd content, and AI-assisted relevance ranking. Context-aware retrieval embeds document lookup directly in IBM i 5250 screens and Windows application windows via hot-key integration.

Security & Access Control

Role-based access control (RBAC) at folder, document type, and field level. IBM i native user profile integration and Windows Active Directory / LDAP support. Encryption at rest and in transit. Full audit trail with immutable log records.

Retention & Records Management

Configurable retention schedules per document class. Legal hold support. Automatic disposition workflows with approval gates. Chain-of-custody reporting for audit and eDiscovery readiness.

Integration & APIs

RESTful API for third-party integration. Native IBM i DB2 data binding for auto-indexing from transaction records. Connectors for ERP, accounting, and line-of-business systems. Import rules and watched services for automated pipelines.

Deployment Options

Deployment Model Platform Best For Notes
On-Premises — IBM i IBM Power / IBM i (AS/400) Shops already running ERP or line-of-business on IBM i Native spool file capture, 5250 integration, IBM i security. RVI services run as IBM i subsystems.
On-Premises — Windows Windows Server (2016+) Windows-centric environments with AD/LDAP Full Active Directory integration, SQL Server back-end, IIS-hosted WebClient.
Hybrid IBM i + Windows Server Mixed shops running both platforms Single ECM instance spans both; IBM i users access via 5250 or WebClient; Windows users via browser.
Cloud / Hosted RVI-managed cloud Organizations preferring OPEX over CAPEX, or rapid deployment RVI manages infrastructure; customer manages users and content. Encrypted storage, SLA-backed uptime.

IBM i Integration Architecture

RVI is one of the few ECM platforms with true native IBM i architecture — not a Windows system bolted onto an IBM i print capture utility.

  • Spool File Capture: RVI monitors output queues and processes spool files in real time. No print-to-PDF middleware required.
  • 5250 / Green-Screen Integration: Function-key triggers launch RVI document retrieval within RPG and CL application screens without modifying source code.
  • DB2 Index Binding: Document index keys pull directly from DB2 tables, eliminating manual keying and ensuring consistency with master data.
  • IBM i Security: User profiles, group profiles, and object-level authority integrate with RVI's RBAC layer. No need to maintain parallel user directories.
  • WebClient Bridge: IBM i content is fully accessible to Windows and browser-based users through RVI WebClient, with the same security model enforced across both interfaces.

Windows & Cross-Platform

For Windows-native environments or hybrid deployments.

  • Active Directory / LDAP: Group membership drives RVI role assignments. SSO support reduces user friction and centralizes identity management.
  • IIS-Hosted WebClient: Browser-based interface requires no client install. Supports modern browsers on desktop and mobile.
  • SQL Server Repository: Document metadata stored in SQL Server; binary content stored to configurable storage targets (local, SAN, cloud object storage).
  • REST API: Programmatic document ingestion, retrieval, and index update. Supports integration with ERP, CRM, and custom LOB applications.
  • Watched Folder / Import Rules: Automated ingestion pipelines monitor network paths, email accounts, or FTP drops and apply classification rules on arrival.

Technical FAQs

On Windows deployments, RVI uses Microsoft SQL Server for metadata and index storage. On IBM i, DB2 for i is leveraged natively. Binary document storage is configurable — local disk, SAN/NAS, or cloud object storage targets.
RVI applies OCR at ingestion time. Zone-based templates extract index values from fixed-position fields (e.g., invoice number at a known coordinate). Barcode recognition handles structured documents. AI-assisted classification can route and tag documents based on content patterns without predefined zones.
RVI exposes a RESTful API for document ingestion (POST), retrieval (GET), metadata update (PATCH), and search. Authentication is token-based. Contact our technical team for API documentation and sandbox access.
Every document event — view, edit, download, route, approve, delete — writes an immutable log record with timestamp, user identity, action type, and document identifier. Audit logs are queryable through the RVI admin interface and exportable for compliance reporting.
Yes. RVI supports standard HA and DR approaches including SQL Server AlwaysOn / mirroring for Windows deployments and MIMIX / journal-based replication for IBM i. Contact us to discuss your specific RTO/RPO requirements.
RVI is licensed per-server / per-organization, not per concurrent user or named user. This means you can extend access to your entire workforce without incremental licensing cost. Annual maintenance covers updates, support, and access to new features.

Ready to See RVI in Action?

We'll walk you through a live demo tailored to your IBM i or Windows environment — no pressure, no obligation.

Request a Free Demo