Survive the downturn through effective knowledge management

With redundancies on the cards for many in the current climate, organisations must ensure its most important asset - knowledge - does not leave the business when the employees do. Jean Ferre looks at how enterprise search tools can help.

Many organisations are currently in a state of flux and face the possibility of redundancies. There's no doubt this tactic is effective for cost cutting, but it could also engender a feeling of job insecurity in the remaining staff. This puts further pressure on HR departments to come up with longer-term solutions. With workforces reducing, the loss of knowledge and intellectual property unique to each departing employee leaves a gap that needs plugging with innovative ways of working together.

Knowledge is the only business asset not to have seen its stock fall recently, so it's vital for companies to leverage it.