Computer output to laser disc (COLD), now also called enterprise report management (ERM), systems are used to capture, archive, store, and retrieve large-volume data such as accounting reports, loan records, inventories, shipping and receiving documents, and customer bills. These systems are typically implemented to replace paper creation and microfiche solutions. The term COLD has been superseded by the Enterprise Content Management Industry (AIIM), ANSI, and ISO with the term "enterprise report management."
ERM (previously referred to as COLD) systems usually work by capturing data from print streams and storing it on hard drives, storage area networks, or optical media. The data is then retrieved via web browsers or fat clients. ERM systems are part of enterprise content management.
In 2002, Mason Grigsby – widely regarded as "The Father of COLD" for his seminal work with INSCI in the late 1980s – promoted a name change for the technology and pointed out that "ERM" more accurately describes the process. The use of laserdiscs was replaced by the use of other optical storage technologies and is only one of several appropriate media for computer report storage.