SpringCM this week announced the addition of records management capabilities to its enterprise content management platform. Adding this to the already-solid foundation of its document management and workflow/process automation capabilities makes SpringCM version 4.4 one of a very few systems offering this level of functionality in a fully hosted, software-as-a-service model.

SpringCM 4.4 offers a number of enhancements, but the most compelling for existing and potential customers is its introduction of a hosted records management solution.

Records management has become a hot topic in recent years as it enables significant advances in e-discovery and regulatory compliance. Performed manually, these tasks are arduous, and any efficiencies that can be gained in these areas are a boon to those users responsible for compiling, tracking, and cataloging legal and financial documents.

Coming just two months on the heels of version 4.3, SpringCM's first foray into records management appears to be quite robust. It seems to have the bases covered with support for setting document-retention policies with full scheduling capabilities for managing documents, e-mail, and other content.

The system also has the ability to consolidate documentation of all types into a single searchable repository, greatly simplifying the process of organizing and finding content when it's needed. Preparing documents for inclusion in the repository is easier as well, with optical character recognition capabilities that allow hard copies of documents to be added easily.

Also worth mentioning are a handful of other enhancements bundled with 4.4, including improvements to workflow usability, improvements to Salesforce.com integration, and enhanced support for intake of faxed documents.

I've long been a fan of hosted solutions for organizations with limited IT resources, and the fact that SpringCM has a software service model and still offers a full-featured product holds a lot of appeal. The SpringCM 4.4 product page has full details on new and existing features the platform, and those looking for a more visual introduction can check out a video presentation.