How Does a Component Content Management (CCM) System Differ from a Content Management System (CMS)
SDL.com

A CCM system is to content management what a conductor is to an orchestra.

You can think of a CCM system as the conductor who is coordinating all of the various instruments in an orchestra, ensuring that all sections are playing in concert with one another.  The conductor knows the score and keeps the various instruments at pace with one another.  The CCM does the same thing. It does this by employing the underlying structured content standard, such as DITA or S1000D.  Because the CCM system understands the specific content standard, it can keep the moving parts together in relationship with one another.

A regular content management system that is not designed for structured content, by contrast, can only version each moving part independently, and cannot track the relationship between all of them. It would be the same as having a different conductor for each instrument in the orchestra.  Imagine the chaos that would ensue as each conductor sets their own pace.  The resulting outcome would be noise rather than music. 

Like a well-orchestrated piece of music, content managed in a CCM provides the foundation for an organization to more easily share and reuse information, drive down the cost of content development and localization, create greater business agility, and ultimately improve the customer experience.

To learn more about the difference between a CCM system and a CMS, download the white paper, "Why a CCM is not a CMS, or Why You Shouldn't Confuse a Whale with a Fish."

A Component Content Management (CCM) system is a specialized form of content management system that can manage the relationship of all moving parts in association to one another.