For companies migrating their enterprise content management systems to the cloud, there are several pros and cons for making the switch, according to a report by Tech Target.

The potential advantages of utilizing a cloud ECM include meeting the demand for large amounts of storage needs. Also, companies no longer have to worry about internal installations of server and storage hardware, as well as lifecycle management processes, the article stated.

The downside of moving ECM operations to the cloud is the issue of data privacy and regulatory issues.

“It’s never just about moving documents from one place to another; it’s about the interrelated links or metadata and getting those links to go with the documents,” said Chris Riley, senior ECM and document capture architect at ShareSquared. “Getting those pieces to migrate correctly is always a challenge.”

Whether a company moves its ECM to the cloud is still an ongoing debate. However, companies are identifying the cloud as a top priority, according to a report by Hosting.com. Of those surveyed, 80 percent said they are likely to consider replacing their physical servers with cloud servers.