Electronic Report Management
Computer Output on Microfilm
Computer Output to Laser Disc
Computer Output to Laser Disk
Enterprise Report Management
ERM

    (ERM, Enterprise Report Management) The capture,
   archiving and publishing, in digital form, of (typically
   mainframe generated) documents such as accounting and
   financial reports.  ERM often replaces systems based on paper
   or microfilm.

   ERM usually captures data from print streams and stores it
   on hard drives, storage area networks or optical disk
   drives.  The data is indexed and can be retreived at the
   desktop with a web browser or a fat client.  ERM systems
   are part of enterprise content management or electronic
   document management.

   An example application is <PearlDoc QuickFile Information
   Management System> (IMS).

   An early replacement for greenbar printed reports was
   Computer Output on Microfilm (COM, not to be confused with
   Microsoft's Component Object Model).  This was superseded
   by Computer Output to Laser Disk (or Disc - COLD) which used
   optical media.

   In 1999 the AIIM renamed COLD to ERM/COLD to reflect the
   variety of media in use.  This was promoted, in 2002, by Mason
   Grigsby - widely reputed as "The Father of COLD" for his
   seminal work with INSCI in the late 1980s.  Judging from
   their website, AIIM don't seem too sure whether ERM is
   "Electronic", "Enterprise" or both.

   (2007-07-25)