Knowledge management software
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
The external links in this article may not follow Wikipedia's content policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links. |
Knowledge management software (KM Software) is a subset of Enterprise content management software and which contains a range of software that specialises in the way information is collected, stored and/or accessed. The concept of knowledge management is based on a range of practices used by an individual, a business, and a large corporation to identify, create, represent and redistribute information for a range of purposes. Software that enables an information practice or range of practices at any part of the processes of information management can be deemed to be called information management software. A subset of information management software that emphasises an approach to build knowledge out of information that is managed or contained is often called knowledge management software.
KM Software in most cases provides a means of individuals, small groups or mid-sized businesses with ways to innovate, build new knowledge in the group, and/or improve customer experience. Knowledge management tools (software) includes a range of about 1,500 or more different approaches to collect and contain information to then build knowledge that can be searched through specialised search tools including concept building tools and or visual search tools that present information in a connected manager not originally conceptualised by those collecting or maintaining the information database.
Contents |
[edit] Range of KM Software
KM Software ranges from small software packages for an individual to use, such as brainstorming software, to highly specialised enterprise software suitable for use by hundreds of employees. Often KM Software provides a key resource for employees working in customer service or telephone support industries, or sectors of large corporations.
KM software, in general, enables the combination of unstructured information sources, such as individual word processed documents and/or .pdf formats, email, graphic illustrations, unstructured notes, website links, invoices, and other information bearing collections, such as a simple thought, through to a combination of millions of interactions from a website, and through that combination enables the seeker to obtain knowledge that otherwise would not have been discovered.
[edit] Top 100 Companies in KM
Since 2000, KMWorld magazine has published a list of the top 100 companies (out of 1,500 in the field) that matter in knowledge management software. These companies were selected by a panel, taking into account customer feedback concerning these companies, innovative ideas as demonstrated by a company's solution, and the functionality of each solution as compared to the others.
The companies in the top 100 list, have according to KMWorld Magazine, helped create, enhance, or define a market. In addition, these companies have defined a range of alternative ways of handling, managing and reusing information to generate knowledge solutions.
An example of the companies in the top 100 list include Inxight, RightNow Technologies, Citrix Systems, ISYS Search Software, Lockheed Martin, and SAP. Each of these systems/software are notable in the way they handle information for re-use.
[edit] Groupware
In Europe through the 1990s, KM Software was almost synonymous with groupware and groupware in this context is most popularly IBM's Lotus Notes. However, as Internet connections deliver faster Internet, such as through broadband, many On-demand products have evolved and are now leading suppliers of software.
[edit] Visual Search
One of the departures from the almost standard keyword search approach are those group of companies developing visual search techniques. A common visual search approach is the tree traversal where a folder is opened and inside the display of that folder are further sub-folders. This tree traversal approach relies on the naming of folders to provide a rich enough indication as to what is contained in the next folder or level of folders.
