MGX group member Metrofile, SA`s largest and most successful document archiving company, has announced a new strategy for managing business content through its full lifecycle.
The new strategy has been formulated in response to a number of business developments:
* The drive to reduce costs in light of the global economic slowdown;
* An increasing willingness for companies to outsource non-core functions;
* The potential for litigation in the event of documents not being managed properly;
* Regulatory requirements in the wake of the corporate scandals sweeping America; and
* The need for fully fledged business continuity in the world post-11 September.
"The landscape has changed dramatically in the last year, and management around the world has woken up to the need for a comprehensive approach to content management," says Paul Mullon, marketing director for Metrofile. "Managers have come to understand that successful business depends on successful content management, both in the paper and electronic domains. Our approach to this complex challenge is to turn what is a liability into an opportunity for business improvement."
The events of 11 September demonstrated graphically that corporate information resides in two distinct and separate domains, adds Mullon: "The one is structured and well catered for; that is IT, and the business continuity and related disciplines here are clearly understood and have been well implemented. But twice as much vital business content sits outside the control of IT as is within its ambit. And no one person owns responsibility for this, which means businesses` content is at a level of unacceptable risk."
Metrofile`s new strategy will over time embrace all types of content, including paper - its historical speciality - electronic records, e-mail, video, digital images and more: in effect, all document types generated by business on an ongoing basis.
To deliver the strategy, Metrofile has invested more than R10 million in restructuring, and absorbed the formerly separate businesses of Exsol and MGX`s outsourcing division. This has seen it grow from 800 to 1 200 people, with processing centres in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.
The aggregated company has been restructured, and now has one sales team and, for the first time, a large professional services arm. This will deliver sales support and consulting and it will design and deliver customised solutions.
The success of a business such as Metrofile depends to a great extent on the quality of its processes, and the company has contracted with Proudfoot Consulting to help bring its operations to world-class standards of efficiency and effectiveness.
For Metrofile, founded in 1986, the move represents an evolution to the next level in its growth, in line with customer requirements.
"Metrofile`s traditional, foundational business was finite, and its growth path was tapering off in this country," notes Mullon. "There are only so many companies in SA which need our storage services. Now we can enter a new growth path, driven by a deeper, more strategic level of engagement with our customers. Direct benefits to customers will be new value-add services, which will assist in managing documents and records throughout their lifecycle. To our shareholders, this means an increased percentage of annuity income, and a greater return on their investment." The scale of growth in business information is staggering:
* IDC reports that digital information is growing at 95% a year;
* The University of California at Berkeley says more information will be generated in the next two years than in the prior history of mankind;
* E-mail storage requirements are projected to grow 205% over the next two years;
* E-statement growth is set to be more than 500% by 2004; and
* The management of information storage is reported to cost between eight and 10 times more than the cost of the storage equipment.
"All of this points to a situation out of control, and if that`s the way it is now, it`s just going to get worse, at a time when it is required to improve drastically," says Mullon. "Our vision is to help corporate clients regain control - and in many cases gain control for the first time - of their vital business records. Corporate governance, shareholders, strategy and customer service - to mention a few - are all impacted by an organisation`s ability to gain control of all its information, and that is what we are aiming to deliver."
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