29
Fri, Nov
0 New Articles

The World of Enterprise Content Management May Be Shaking

Analysis of News Events
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

But it's not due to colliding protons in Switzerland.

 

IBM announced last week that it has been working with Microsoft, EMC Corp., and several other companies for the past two years to develop a specification using Web services and Web 2.0 interfaces that will try to allow applications to work with a variety of enterprise content management (ECM) repositories.

 

Since last week also was when CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) officially finished building the Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland, and made its first attempt to circulate a beam of protons the entire way around its 17-mile tunnel, it's difficult to tell which announcement was the more newsworthy. An indication, however, is that the Collider has a rap song dedicated to it on YouTube.

 

The announcement from IBM and others that a new specification has been created to enable interoperation of applications with ECM repositories is significant too, mind you; it's just that some might be skeptical that any such attempt will prove successful. There have been similar efforts in the past, you may recall.

 

Named the Content Management Interoperability Services (CMIS) specification, the draft is being submitted to OASIS (the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) to hopefully advance through its standards development process. The implementation defines a set of services that provide a layer of abstraction between content-centric applications and back-end repositories.

 

The ultimate goal, says IBM and the collaborating companies, is to "dramatically reduce the IT burden around multi-vendor, multi-repository content management environments." And Ken Bisconti, vice president, products and strategy, IBM Enterprise Content Management, takes it a step further by saying, "By working together to define the CMIS standard, IBM, Microsoft, and EMC are clearly putting the needs of all customers first in this important technology area. We have worked hard to develop a standard that continues IBM's efforts to leverage the principles of SOA and Web 2.0 interfaces to benefit the industry as a whole."

 

That certainly sounds altruistic, and for all intents and purposes, companies today are challenged by how to unlock their data when they have several content management solutions dispersed throughout the organization. But what do EMC and IBM sell more of than anyone else? Storage. And what are users going to need when they have a robust, truly enterprise-wide content management system? More storage. And what would Microsoft like to do with their SharePoint Server product? Store documents. So who is going to benefit from the adoption of a standard that will allow access to proprietary content management systems? Well, let's just say that users won't be hurt by it even if they appear quite happy with their enterprise-wide, proprietary content management solutions that they are somehow still muddling with along today.

 

I found it interesting that Oracle, which, along with Microsoft, made a foray into the content management system business in 2006 with its Oracle Content Management product, was also among the group working to develop a new specification. Other member companies include SAP and two smaller firms, Alfresco Software and Open Text, though Open Text is hardly a small company, with a wide variety of ECM products and offices in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, Japan, Australia, and Singapore.

 

Alfresco, begun in 2005, offers an open-source model for enterprise content management that is said to combine the innovation of open source with the stability of an enterprise platform. The company has been one of the leading drivers behind the CMIS specification and is optimistic that having such a standard will make it easier for developers to write applications that work with Alfresco as well as SharePoint and the others.

 

As interest in CMIS develops, those working on the project will likely turn their attention toward a query language. It may be some form of SQL, or it may be something a little more approachable, like Contextual Query Language. CQL tries to combine simplicity and intuitiveness of expression for simple, everyday queries with the richness of more expressive languages to handle demanding ideas when necessary.

 

With the potential for developers to access heretofore proprietary repositories by writing new content-centric applications, we should begin to see developer interest in writing more and more creative new ones that make content management systems even more useful and cost-effective than they have been to date. This is very green, I might add, because if these systems do one thing well, it's reduce the use (read waste) of paper by turning documents into electronic images.

 

Vendors who have been slow in improving their own content management systems may resist such a move by outside developers, but the smart ones will figure out a way to capture that energy to their advantage through contests, rewards, and special recognition of enterprising young developers.

 

Perhaps someone should take a cue from the CERN project and write a rap song about enterprise content management.

 

 

Chris Smith

Chris Smith was the Senior News Editor at MC Press Online from 2007 to 2012 and was responsible for the news content on the company's Web site. Chris has been writing about the IBM midrange industry since 1992 when he signed on with Duke Communications as West Coast Editor of News 3X/400. With a bachelor's from the University of California at Berkeley, where he majored in English and minored in Journalism, and a master's in Journalism from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Chris later studied computer programming and AS/400 operations at Long Beach City College. An award-winning writer with two Maggie Awards, four business books, and a collection of poetry to his credit, Chris began his newspaper career as a reporter in northern California, later worked as night city editor for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, and went on to edit a national cable television trade magazine. He was Communications Manager for McDonnell Douglas Corp. in Long Beach, Calif., before it merged with Boeing, and oversaw implementation of the company's first IBM desktop publishing system there. An editor for MC Press Online since 2007, Chris has authored some 300 articles on a broad range of topics surrounding the IBM midrange platform that have appeared in the company's eight industry-leading newsletters. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: