Frequently Asked Questions

Being cloud-native is important because it: 

• Reduces costs and complexity by eliminating the need for traditional server-based infrastructure, which is often expensive and prone to failure. Additionally, cloud-native architectures enable organizations to pay only for what they use and to take advantage of tiered storage to further lower expenses.
• Enhances scalability, allowing individual components (like search or rendering) to adjust dynamically based on user activity and system demand.
• Enables easier access to AI tools, as many of these tools integrate seamlessly with major cloud services such as Azure and AWS.

Moving an ECM system to the cloud using a server-based architecture is not the same as deploying a cloud-first ECM application. In a server-based model, the system is simply lifted and shifted to a hosted environment, often retaining legacy complexity, limited scalability, and high maintenance requirements. In contrast, a cloud-first ECM is purpose-built to take full advantage of cloud-native principles such as modular design, elastic scalability, API-driven integrations, and tiered storage. This allows each component (such as search, indexing, or rendering) to scale independently based on demand, reduces infrastructure costs by using only the resources needed, and ensures seamless integration with modern tools and platforms. A true cloud-first architecture offers improved performance, agility, and resilience that traditional server-based deployments, even in the cloud, simply can’t match.

Content Transparency refers to the ability to use standard, cloud-native AWS and Azure APIs to access content and data, rather than relying on proprietary APIs. These standard APIs are well-documented, widely supported, and include enterprise-grade security features like encryption, authentication, and audit logging. Transparent access to information does not mean the data is exposed or insecure. This approach not only ensures secure access but also eliminates the need for specialized, hard-to-find resources with deep expertise in a legacy software application. Organizations no longer have to depend on costly, difficult-to-retain personnel for custom integrations and content ingestion. By leveraging open, transparent access, businesses can streamline development, reduce operational risk, and accelerate integration with modern tools and platforms – all without compromising security.

Content can be both transparent and secure when accessed through modern, cloud-native platforms. Transparency refers to the ability of authorized systems and users to access content through standard APIs, like those provided by AWS and Azure, without relying on proprietary APIs or custom integration layers. At the same time, security is enforced at the core API level by the cloud providers themselves. These APIs include built-in enterprise-grade controls such as multi-factor authentication, role-based access control (RBAC), encryption in transit and at rest, audit logging, and compliance certifications (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001). This means content and data can be easily and efficiently accessed by approved applications while remaining fully protected against unauthorized use. In short, transparency enables integration and agility, while cloud-native security frameworks ensure that all access is strictly governed and monitored.

To expose your organization’s ECM content to AI tools, it’s essential to first get the right content into platforms like AWS or Azure, where it can be accessed by AI engines and out-of-the-box (OOTB) connectors. One effective approach is to create an “ECM-lite” source by synchronizing subsets of content from your legacy ECM systems into a modern content store like Veladocs. This ensures that only content specifically “released” for AI use is made available, minimizing risk and maintaining governance. Because Veladocs is a true ECM solution at its core, it continues to enforce enterprise-level security on synced content, ensuring that only authorized users and services can access sensitive information. This selective release model is especially valuable when dealing with dynamic or time-sensitive data, giving you the ability to support content updates and enforce the “right to forget” when information becomes outdated or irrelevant. By combining selective content syncing with cloud-native accessibility, Veladocs enables secure, scalable, and AI-ready access to your organization’s most valuable content.

Utilizing open APIs from platforms like AWS and Azure makes ECM integrations significantly easier and more sustainable compared to traditional proprietary APIs. Open APIs are well-documented, standardized, and widely supported, which means developers can build and maintain integrations using familiar tools without needing deep, specialized knowledge of legacy systems. This eliminates the need for custom code, and the hidden costs associated with maintaining those bespoke integrations over time. In contrast, proprietary ECM APIs often impose rigid constraints, introduce unnecessary complexity, and depend on a shrinking pool of experts to keep them functional. By adopting open cloud-native APIs, organizations reduce risk, lower development and support costs, and future-proof their content ecosystem through easier upgrades, better interoperability, and long-term scalability.

A scalable Enterprise Content Platform is designed to support billions of documents and data objects without compromising the performance of core functions like search, indexing, retrieval, and metadata management. Scalability is best achieved through a cloud-native, distributed architecture where compute and storage resources can scale independently and elastically based on demand. This allows high-volume operations such as bulk ingestion, real-time indexing, and AI-powered search to maintain responsiveness even as content volume grows exponentially. A scalable platform must also support multi-tiered storage, enabling organizations to optimize cost by storing frequently accessed content on high-performance tiers and archival data on lower-cost tiers. Just as critical is the platform’s ability to scale user access and integrations, supporting thousands of concurrent users and connections to enterprise systems without creating bottlenecks. Platforms that leverage modern APIs, cloud infrastructure, and lightweight microservices ensure that as content volumes grow, the system remains fast, reliable, secure, and accessible across the entire enterprise. 

If your users are struggling to find content, modern search technologies utilize a combination of AI, Natural Language, metadata, and full-text searches. Fine-tuning the balance of search approaches can dramatically improve user experience. Search has come a long way with the introduction of AI and Natural Language (NL) Search, which enables users to query systems using everyday language rather than complex filters or technical syntax. This makes search more approachable and intuitive, especially for non-technical users. However, in a business context, AI and NL search alone are not enough. To be truly effective, search must also support structured and metadata-driven filtering, allowing users to narrow results by specific fields such as customer, product, or document type. The real power lies in combining approaches, for example, utilizing metadata to narrow the scope and natural language to refine the intent. This hybrid model enables users to quickly and confidently locate the right content, even in large and complex repositories.

To make search faster in ECM applications, it’s essential to use a modern ECM solution architected for scalability and performance. Legacy systems often store all content in a single, monolithic database, which can become a bottleneck as content volumes grow. In contrast, modern platforms support billions of objects and allow content to be segregated into separate object stores and indexes, enabling more focused and efficient searches. Instead of querying across a massive, centralized repository, users can target specific object stores or search across multiple stores only when needed, greatly improving search speed and relevance.

Additionally, modern ECM platforms have replaced complex, rigid database structures with search indices like OpenSearch and Elasticsearch, high-performance, distributed search engines designed for speed and scalability. OpenSearch allows for near real-time indexing, flexible querying, and powerful full-text search capabilities that outperform traditional ECM databases. By combining OpenSearch with targeted object store architecture, modern ECM solutions deliver faster, more responsive search experiences that keep pace with growing enterprise content needs.

To reduce costs in your ECM system, Docuvela recommends to:

1. Utilize modern, cloud-native architecture.
2. Implement a simplified Search Portal for read-only users.
3. Move over-managed content from costly legacy ECM platforms to more cost-effective, lightweight systems.

Server-focused architecture is expensive to maintain, upgrade, and secure. For example, traditional ECM platforms often require patching and managing server environments, dedicated databases, and specialized IT support, costs that quickly add up, especially at scale. Shifting to a cloud-native architecture eliminates much of this overhead by leveraging auto-scalable, managed infrastructure from providers like AWS and Azure, reducing both capital and operational expenses.

Implementing a Search Portal reduces costs by limiting access to the primary ECM repository, allowing for more effective resource allocation. Additionally, it enables secure external access for third-party users, enhancing collaboration without compromising system security. By removing this load from the existing ECM system, cost savings are multi-faceted. Read-only users have a focused interface that eliminates training requirements and complex interactions with full-featured ECM interfaces. The existing infrastructure on the legacy ECM system will perform better due to the reduced load. Read-only users become more productive when utilizing a streamlined interface that prioritizes finding content quickly and efficiently.

Another major cost-saving opportunity is to evaluate how much of your current ECM platform you’re actually using. Many organizations pay high licensing fees for legacy ECM solutions while utilizing only a small portion of the available features. For instance, moving overmanaged or archival content off expensive platforms and into lightweight, scalable content stores, such as Veladocs, can significantly reduce licensing and storage costs without sacrificing access or compliance.

To minimize risks associated with your ECM system, one of the most effective strategies is to reduce your reliance on traditional server-based infrastructure. Server-focused architectures introduce multiple points of failure – from hardware issues and patching delays to dependency on aging software stacks —that can disrupt access to critical content. By transitioning to a cloud-first ECM approach, you gain the benefits of high availability, elastic scalability, and managed infrastructure that significantly reduce the risk of downtime and data loss.

Additionally, tools like the Veladocs Search Portal offer a powerful layer of resilience. This solution allows you to sync content from your primary ECM system into a secure, cloud-based content store, creating a live backup that users can continue to search and access even if your main ECM platform experiences a planned maintenance window or an unexpected outage. This not only ensures continuity of access to key information but also reduces dependency on a single platform for mission-critical operations. By combining cloud-native architecture with redundant search access through tools like Veladocs, organizations can significantly minimize operational risks and maintain business continuity.