As the name says this component is about managing Content. One of the big issues in all organization is to manage huge volume of unstructured content that includes documents, e-mail messages, videos, instant messages, Web pages, and more. Enterprise Content Management (ECM) from Microsoft is a key component of an organization's infrastructure, which can help companies overcome these challenges.

Following are the key features of Content Management component:

  • Integrated document Management
  • Records management
  • Web Content management with policies and workflow

The following table outlines and compares the enterprise content management features included in SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and MOSS 2007 (Source: Microsoft)

KEY :
= Feature Included
= Improved in 2007
= New in Office SharePoint Server 2007
Feature Included
SharePoint Portal Server 2003
Office SharePoint Server 2007 Enterprise CAL
Business document workflow support
Automate document review, approval, signature collection, and issue tracking using workflow applications.
  • Approval
  • Collect feedback
  • Collect signatures
  • Disposition approval
Document management site templates
  • The Managed Document Library site template defines large-scale document management sites.
  • The Divisional Library site template includes managed document libraries, dashboards, key performance indicators (KPIs), and other reporting tools.
  • The Translation Library site template helps organizations manage multiple translations of a document.
Integration with Microsoft Information Rights Management (IRM)
Helps ensure that access rights applied to Microsoft Office documents in a central library travel with the documents, even when they are downloaded from the library.
Document information panel
Makes editing document properties an integral part of the Microsoft Office system document-authoring experience.
Document Action bar
Describes to users what business policy or workflow governs the current document and what action they are expected to take.
Retention and auditing policies
Define customized information management policies to control retention period, expiration actions, and document-auditing settings.
Records repository
Helps ensure the integrity of the files stored in the repository, and supports information management policies that consistently and uniformly enforce auditing and expiration of records.
E-mail content as records
Provides consistent, policy-based solutions for managing e-mail content across Office Outlook 2007, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, and Office SharePoint Server 2007.
Legal holds
Makes it possible for records to be searched and placed on hold during litigation discovery to override the retention schedule of the records.
High fidelity Web sites with consistent branding
Provides the concept of Master Pages and Page layouts to enforce the branding and navigation of Web sites. CSS supports gives pixel level control on the look and feel of these sites.
Navigation controls
Out-of-the box navigation controls that can be easily customized by end users.
Content authoring
Provides the ability for information workers to create content rich web pages using a Web browser.
Content publishing and deployment
Built in approval workflow allows Web content to be sent for approval prior to publishing. Content deployment to production sites can be scheduled by setting up jobs and a "live" time period for each page can be specified within which that page is viewable.
Site templates
Includes support for several new enterprise site templates:
  • The Enterprise Portal template provides a means for a business unit to create and share content that is relevant to the ongoing operation of an enterprise, division, or business unit.
  • The Corporate Internet Presence Site template includes tools and workflows to create and manage Web content for products and service descriptions, company news, and public filings, among other things.
  • The Application Portal template brings together all of the tools and information related to a particular line-of-business application.
  • The Roll-up Portal template consolidates data and content from several applications or locations and presents it in an integrated format.
Page Layouts
Page Layouts simplify content authoring and publishing-site administrators define a structure that guides authors through the publishing process; content contributors focus on doing their jobs rather than on the details of publishing and deployment. Flexible Page Layouts also allow designers to mix and match ASP.NET applications, Web Parts, and Authoring Templates in any configuration to create customized sites to meet specific business needs.
Site variations
A new feature of Office SharePoint Server 2007, sites can be linked together in a parent-child type of relationship providing a one-way orchestration framework for Web content. This feature allow organizations to deploy multi-lingual publishing sites in a much more structured and manageable environment.
WYSIWYG Web content editor
Extends the SharePoint user interface with additional commands and status indicators for in-context Web page authoring.
Slide libraries
The repository features in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 provide the platform support for slide libraries, a feature of Office SharePoint Server 2007. Slide libraries enable the storage of individual slides in a SharePoint site. Office PowerPoint 2007 slide decks can be automatically created from a selection of slides in a slide library.
Policies, auditing, and compliance
Repositories in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 support the following policy, auditing, and compliance features. However, the features denoted with an asterisk are activated only upon the installation of Office SharePoint Server 2007.
  • Document retention and expiration policies
  • Highly customizable policies
  • Workflow process to define expiration
  • Access control and security
  • IRM policies applied on download to secure the functional access to documents
  • Logging of all actions on sites, content, and workflows
  • Official document-of-record repositories
  • Site for storing or archiving enterprise approved content types
Salient Features
A robust application that lets you manage your content and documentation processes effectively.
Set up sites and collaborative work spaces to create and share documents.
Offer enterprise-class management tools to manage and secure work spaces.
Restricted access to critical documents that protects data integrity.
Store and retrieve documents and go paperless and reduce your printing and shipping costs.
Downloads
Click here to download a brochure on SharePoint