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You've decided to make that big enterprise content management (ECM) technology purchase. However, somewhere between where you are now and your technological utopia, you've got some work to do. And, as with any big purchase decision, there are a lot of questions to answer. That's where a good VAR comes in — one that can bring together the most appropriate products to create the best solution to fit your unique needs.

See how we're changing the playing field...free Webinar Tuesday, August 7, 2:00 PM ESTThe Enterprise Content Management (document imaging, document management, content management, etc.) market has become stagnant over the last few years with few, if any, vendors offering real innovation or investing in technology to deliver full-featured solutions, compelling user experiences, or business application integration.Clearview has redefined ECM with the first contemporary solution designed to deliver rich yet easy-to-use ECM functionality to every desktop throughout your organization. Leveraging newer technology that paves the way for innovation, Microsoft® has raised the bar on classic ECM with Office 2007 and SharePoint® Server 2007. Clearview is the first ECM vendor to uniquely encapsulate this new functionality into a comprehen-sive solution designed to bring a fresh change and true innova-tion into ECM deployment and usability.

A new Enterprise Content Management (ECM) architecture is beginning to emerge in the wake of numerous vendor acquisitions and expanded R&D. The idea is to provide an underlying server that offers core repository services, then build a set of independent functional products on top (e.g. WCM, DAM, Collaboration, etc.), ideally all unified under one interface layer. FileNET appears to be close to realizing the model, but the newest adherent to this approach is Stellent, who recently announced Version 7. Our usual caveat: this architectural model is new and not suited for many buyers, especially those wanting point solutions. In the long run, it will broaden the gap between high-end and mid-range vendors -- not just in price, but in overall buyer commitment to the vendor. In the meantime, it could help Stellent move out beyond its traditional Intranet hunting grounds...Check out Stellent V.7

The ECM industry's major trade association (and all-around cheerleader), AIIM, recently polled 333 end-user attendees at its CMS seminar series. AIIM uncovered a lot of interesting data. Not surprisingly, Records Management remains paramount in the face of serious compliance challenges. But for those technology buyers seeking foremost to achieve cost savings and greater customer value, web content management rises nearly to the top of their wishlists. AIIM's survey confirms what we see everywhere: enterprises still need a ton of help simply automating their web publishing processes. There's bad news for some vendors, though, since AIIM's findings suggest buyers have sub-enterprise tier budgets...

ECM suite vendor Stellent today announced that it had purchased digital rights management (DRM) software vendor, SealedMedia. Follows in the footsteps of its larger competitor, EMC|Documentum, who had purchased Authentica (a SealedMedia competitor) earlier this year. I said it then and still think so now: DRM and enteprise document management are a good match. One of the great benefits of formal CM systems is that they provide repository access controls, but that can't stop authorized users from downloading and sending files around the world on their own.

We have always seen great potential for syndication within the enterprise, and so were happy to see a fine blog on the topic by an ex-CMS and portal vendor employee, Charlie Wood, now at Newsgator. In his blog, Charlie shares a message from an ex-Vignette architect on how major ECM vendors could bring value to their clients by offering simple ways to produce RSS feeds. Ironically, most of the lower-cost Web CMS vendors now provide automated RSS generation, albeit mostly for public website scenarios. For the enterprise, syndication engines need to reach deeper into more complex repositories. But the work could be well worth it...

By implementing an ECM system, a city government can provide constituents with instant access topublic records that once took two to three weeks to retrieve. Used with permission from Integrated Solutions magazine

Here in the USA it is "Thanksgiving" holiday -- a very pleasant time when we gather with family and declare our various gratitudes. In that spirit, I'll list some content technology things for which, I think, we can all be grateful: WebDAV Lightweight syndication, a.k.a., RSS and ATOM Web content governance models Real-time spell-check in the browser (with Firefox 2.x you get it for free) Nearly ubiquitous clustering facilities for search results Slight (but perceptible) trend towards REST-based SOA for ECM Competition for Google Analytics A very healthy Web CMS marketplace JSR 283 CM ProsThis list is surely too short, but it's enough for now, with the tryptophan kicking in...

Twice a year AIIM (the ECM industry association) surveys members attending its vendor solutions seminars across the USA. Last November the association found that Web content management remained salient, despite some analyst reports that the Web CMS space was declining. And again this year, AIIM's survey shows web content management topping members' "likely technology interests in the next 12-18 months." (Records management and imaging also remain enterprise priorities.) We believe this is reflected in the marketplace; some of the big CMS vendors may be struggling, but nearly all the others continue to do well, at least for now...Review AIIM's Survey Results (PDF)[Update: AIIM membership required to view...]

Clearview SoftwareClearview introduces a fresh, new approach to enterprise content management, bringing enterprise-class features and functionality to the mid-market.Designed to provide ease-of-use and enable mass adoption across an organization, Clearview revolutionizes the way your users work with content management on their desktop. It is the first ECM solution designed for today's business requirements using today's technology standards.

One of the most intriguing and exciting aspects of the new Clearview 4 Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solution is the revolutionary Iriss Desktop Gadget.