24 Chapter2·ManagingInformationandRecordsinAnEnterprise with a need to improve productivity? How can we make the right technology and change manage- ment investments to demonstrate both tangible cost savings as well as softer returns? ECM software vendors have developed specific solution offerings designed to meet these essential needs--user productivity, business agility, cost, and risk mitigations--that are common to the enter- prise. ECM offerings bring together the key elements needed to put an organization on the right path to governance strategy. Senior management necessarily scrutinizes technology investments. Software acquisition at the enterprise level can no longer be done purely by IT. Nor can it be driven by requirements of only one department or business unit. Technology investments are increasingly required to serve three fundamen- tal needs: to control costs and risks, to enable business agility, and to empower the business users. An ECM solution portfolio ought to meet all three of these corporate requirements. The challenges surrounding effective content management strategies are abundant. Ever-increasing volumes of information, fractured systems that have been adopted over time, merger and acquisition activities resulting in disparate and disconnected IT systems are the challenges facing most enterprise today. These issues are now viewed against the backdrop of complex electronic discovery, regulatory, and legislative mandates that influence how organizations view and manage business content. Companies are subject to regulations that require the protection and preservation of content. They must also show adherence to approved retention policies, as well as privacy and data protection regulations driven by the industry and jurisdiction in which they do business. Failure to meet these external obligations exposes the organization to possible financial penalty, loss of reputation and legal liabilities that affect business operations.