Jeff Potts: Content Management

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 17:52:20 GMT

Alfresco is an open source enterprise content management solution founded by one of the co-founders of Documentum.

Alfresco Enterprise Network Release Candidate Announced. Alfresco, Inc. announced that it is making available the Alfresco Enterprise Network Release Candidate. This integrates closely to the JBoss Cache, JBoss Application Server and Hibernate utilizing the underlying scalability and high-availability features. Alfresco utilizes JBoss Cache's ability to distribute and maintain data caches, making it possible to build large-scale systems which allows Alfresco to deliver cached data at in memory speeds. Alfresco also utilizes the clustering, failover and load balancing facilities of the JBoss Application Server to increase scalability. Content models are more complex than traditional relational database tables. Alfresco utilizes Hibernate to control the content management schema. Alfresco complements these products with content replication and use of Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) to integrate to different, configurable authentication systems. Features of the Alfresco Enterprise Network are single sign-on through Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) across the JBoss Portal and portlets,fail-safe content services, a massively parallel content grid, and distributed high availability within the data centre and between disparate data centres. http://www.alfresco.org [Gilbane Report News]

Mon, 26 Sep 2005 15:21:24 GMT

Massachusetts Makes Smart Move Official. Switch to OpenDocument format will make state documents more accessible to the public because anyone can have the software to read the format. [eWEEK Linux]

Mon, 26 Sep 2005 15:09:55 GMT

Recipe for a CMS disaster.

InfoWorld has published a case study of a CMS disaster, caused by a lack of author involvement in the project. To quote:

The new system I was developing would be an improvement, but I knew it would take time for our users to become productive in the new environment -- and they were not known for their patience. I was particularly worried because our project plan didn't include any opportunity for interaction with the users.

Some of these problems could've been resolved through the use of requirements captured in a narrative format, along with supporting scenarios. But as indicated in the article, user involvement throughout the project is critical.

[Thanks to CMS Watch.] [Column Two]

Thu, 15 Sep 2005 22:53:26 GMT

Die hard for FatWire Spark. After FatWire acquired the Content Server product line from divine in 2003, most commentators expected the original FatWire "Spark" product to fade away. Although sold almost exclusively in the USA and not easily upgradable to the more robust Content Server package, FatWire has kept Spark alive and today announced that Sun Microsystems will offer an unlimited - use license free to Sun Portal Server customers. This is an interesting move for two vendors struggling to find their niche. FatWire may see Spark as a lead generator, but some Sun licensees might come to find Spark limiting -- although, to be fair, other portal vendors' CMS tools are similarly light. Other customers might be frustrated that Sun, and not FatWire, will handle product support. Internationally, the FatWire sales force could be left in an awkward position, with Sun giving away Spark for free while the FatWire reps try to push the more complicated (and expensive) Content Server product. By Janus Boye. [CMS Watch Trends and Features]

Tue, 14 Jun 2005 13:25:17 GMT

Two articles on the State of OS CMS.

There are two recent articles on the state of OS CMS: "The State of Open Source CMS" by Gregor Rothfuss in the Cutter IT Journal which you need to subscribe to read; and "Straight from the Source: Open Source Content Management" by John Harney in inaugural issue of Enterprise Open Source Journal. Writing on this topic is a daunting task because the space is so expansive and dynamic. These

By noemail@noemail.org (Seth). [Enter Content Here]

Tue, 14 Jun 2005 13:23:03 GMT

Content Repository Standard Approved by JCP Executive Committee. Day Software announced that the JSR 170 Content Repository for Java Technology API has been approved by an industry expert group of the major players in content management. JSR 170, which has been developed under the Java Community Process (JCP) program, is designed to lessen the risks of proprietary vendor lock-in by improving the interoperability between content repositories and applications. This new standard helps companies manage content across large-scale enterprises. Day's CTO, David Nuescheler, has lead the JSR 170 initiative by acting as the specification lead since its inception. Apache, BEA Systems, IBM, Oracle, and SAP amongst many others all serve as members of expert group for JSR 170. Other industry participants include Documentum Inc., Filenet, and Vignette. http://jcp.org [Gilbane Report News]

Tue, 14 Jun 2005 13:18:32 GMT

New Plone Book: PloneLive.

There is a new Plone Book available: PloneLive 1.0 by Michel Pelletier and Munwar Shariff. What makes PloneLive really interesting is that it is a LiveBook that is constantly being updated. You can buy it print on demand for $44.95 from Amazon or a year's subscription for $29.95. The PloneLive Site also has a blog and other content...[Enter Content Here]

Fri, 13 May 2005 12:39:31 GMT

Interwoven Announces ECM Solutions on Microsoft Platform. Interwoven, Inc. announced they have become a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Interwoven, building on Microsoft technologies, will enable information workers-starting with professional services firms including legal, accounting, management consulting, corporate legal departments, and IT consulting-to manage the entire content lifecycle through the tight integration of the Interwoven WorkSite Collaborative Document Management, E-Mail Management, and RecordsManager solutions with the Microsoft platform including Office, SharePoint Portal Server, and Windows. http://www.interwoven.com [Gilbane Report News]

Wed, 11 May 2005 22:32:47 GMT

CMPros announces management committee and executive director. Content Management Professionals (CM Pros), the international content management community of practice, today announced the appointment of its Management Committee and new Executive Director, reinforcing the organization's increasing relevance to the content management discipline. [CMPros]

Wed, 11 May 2005 18:32:34 GMT

I originally wrote a shorter version of this Documentum WCM Overview for the Southwest Documentum User Group. I've made this version a little friendlier for people who might not be as familiar with Documentum.

Fri, 06 May 2005 22:51:56 GMT

PHP-Nuke Review. The latest Intranet Journal reviews PHP-Nuke. We link to a lot of trade-press product reviews, but remember they are almost uniformly glowing. You will find few comparative analyses, and this article is no exception. The author does point out that PHP-Nuke (like all the other Nukes, we wish he'd add) is more than a CMS and really represents a website-in-a-box application potentially well-suited for certain collaborative Intranet environments. The review also helpfully advises caution in examining the provenance of optional add-ons. But what about documentation? "It is likely that a documentation project will be launched in the future"...... [CMSWatch Trends and Features]

Fri, 06 May 2005 22:48:54 GMT

The Content Management Handbook. Tony Byrne has written a review of Martin White's recently-released The Content Management Handbook. To quote: The gem of White's book is that it speaks directly to the beleagured manager who has just been handed a content management project. White... [Column Two]

Thu, 05 May 2005 22:48:23 GMT

PureEdge & Open Text Partner on E-Forms Solutions. PureEdge Solutions Inc. and Open Text Corporation announced they are partnering to deliver new solutions that will help large organizations streamline and improve complex processes that require electronic forms. Open Text will utilize the PureEdge 8x XML solution to extend e-forms capabilities in its Livelink ECM Solutions. A key target for the new solutions will be large government agencies, in addition to major corporations in the financial services, healthcare and manufacturing sectors. Livelink ECM Solutions unify information and complex processes, while allowing the people involved in those processes to collaborate in real time. By using PureEdge XML e-forms with Livelink, customers will be able to accelerate their e-forms implementation. http://www.opentext.com, http://www.pureedge.com [Gilbane]

Thu, 05 May 2005 22:45:35 GMT

MidCOM 2.3.2 Released. The Midgard Project has released the latest development version 2.3.2 of MidCOM - the Midgard Components Framework. MidCOM is a PHP-based component framework for the Midgard Content Management System...With the MidCOM framework PHP applications have localization, configuration, templating and data abstraction features.http://www.midgard-project.org [Gilbane]

Good "So what?" article on JSR-170

Tue, 26 Apr 2005 17:42:04 GMT

The article outlines why JSR-170 is important from the perspectives of IT professionals, consultants, and vendors...

JSR-170: What's in it for me?. David Nuescheler and Janus Boye have written an article exploring JSR-170, the draft standard designed to provide a consistent Java interface to CMS products. To quote: As you can imagine, JSR-170 is likely to cause a healthy shake-up in the... [Column Two]

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 16:28:19 GMT

"Technology" is one of the three converging forces. Under that heading, Charlie notes how blogs and CMS/Portals are converging.

Technology: the perfect storm for portals?. Charlie Wood has written a blog entry on the uncertain future of portals. To quote: The enterprise portal industry stands squarely in the path of three converging forces, any one of which could be devastating. Together, they might be fatal.... [Column Two]

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 20:48:05 GMT

Lenya Releases Version 1.2.2.

Today the Apache Lenya team announced the release of version 1.2.2. This release includes upgrades to the WYSIWYG editors (Kupu and BXE) and some minor UI improvements. Also, a migration to Cocoon 2.1.6 leverages new features such as more rubust caching, multi-channel output, and improvements to form handling.

By noemail@noemail.org (Seth). [Enter Content Here]

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 20:47:47 GMT

Open Source CMS Article in EContent Magazine.

There is a good article on open source content management systems in the latest (January/February) issue of EContent Magazine. Here are some key points: Frank Gilbane, of the Gilbane Report, is quoted: "If you have a spectrum where you build a CMS yourself on one end and commercial solutions at the other end, open source can sit in the middle." I like this way of describing the role of open

By noemail@noemail.org (Seth). [Enter Content Here]

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 02:17:07 GMT

Ann Rockley recently posed a question to the CMPros listserv about the skills needed for a successful Enterprise Content Management professional. Here's my reply:

To really drill down on this topic, you have to be specific about what the ECM professional is trying to do. As we've discussed ad nauseum in other threads, the definition of "ECM", "CM", and "DM", etc., mean different things to different people and often are umbrella terms--particularly with ECM--for different types of activities that require different skillsets.

As someone who's done a fair amount of recruiting in this space, I can tell you there are many ECM professionals who spend many years working only in very specific ECM niches with very little exposure to the entire ECM spectrum of solutions.

So, my thoughts to Ann are from the perspective of a technical ECM consultant working on large implementations of packaged ECM offerings, primarily around WCM and document-centric workflows, with moderate amounts of customization.

Soft skills

Change management. The ability to anticipate and smooth out issues related to the substantial amount of change created by the implementation of ECM initiatives is critical.

Communication/leadership. Another key skill is the ability to sell the value of the ECM initiative to executive leaders, build consensus, recruit a champion, etc. Communication skills also play a part in crafting, sharing, and selling a vision of ECM at all levels of an organization.

Business process analysis. Most ECM initiatives include workflow. An ECM professional needs to know how to understand and possibly improve the business processes related to the content being managed.

Subject area expertise. It helps if a professional understands one or more CM "sub-disciplines" or horizontals such as technical publishing, WCM, imaging, compliance, etc. There may also be vertical industry niches in areas such as pharmaceuticals, energy, manufacturing, health care, etc. that professionals may choose to specialize in.

Technical skills:

- XML/XSL
- Java or .Net as well as one or more scripting languages
- Application server platforms
- Packaged content server offerings
- Information architecture
- Scanning hardware, storage solutions, etc.

Regarding academic curricula

As far as academic offerings, using what's available today it seems like a computer science/library science double major would get you close. Obviously, a purpose-built curriculum incorporating relevant offerings from computer science, library science, and business administration would seem like the most optimal.

Wed, 06 Apr 2005 16:58:35 GMT

Learning about content management with Typo3. One of the social benefits of open source packages is that anyone can download them and start learning -- not just about that platform -- but about content management systems in general. In our experience, this is particularly valuable for developers. For example, you can easily download Typo3, a popular PHP-based system, and run it on your laptop or local network (the installer will unpack Apache and MySQL if you don't already have). By playing around with the tool, you can learn a lot of CMS concepts, such as templating, user management, applying pre-set functions and components, embedding custom code snippets, and so on.... [CMSWatch Trends and Features]

Wed, 06 Apr 2005 16:58:00 GMT

Continuing the open-source riff. A major competitor to Typo3 is Mambo CMS. The two projects are organized rather differently, but both run on a LAMP platform and each boasts a worldwide following. Here is a nice story on the history of the Mambo project, with additional perspective on their recent legal travails...... [CMSWatch Trends and Features]

Thu, 31 Mar 2005 22:19:27 GMT

Java Content Repositories (JCR) on the Move. Day Software, a provider of content management and infrastructure software, announces that Obinary will embed Day’s Content Repository Extreme (CRX) across its entire product sets. CRX - Day’s Java Content Repository - is the industry’s first full implementation of JSR... [CMSwire]

Software AG gets into BPM

Wed, 16 Mar 2005 15:19:56 GMT

http://www.it-director.com/article.php?articleid=12614&;SESSID=cad5b7d6195307baa745e4091963aacd

Thu, 03 Feb 2005 20:42:39 GMT

CMS Vendor Q4 Financial Roundup. Major CMS vendors are declaring revenue growth and modest profits. That's good for the industry as a whole, but rising sales in many cases reflects cumulative income from newly-... [CMSWatch Trends and Features]

Thu, 03 Feb 2005 20:32:54 GMT

Vignette Earnings, Revenues Up, Profitability Down. Vignette has announced financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2004. Year-over-year revenue growth was 25%, total revenues for the year were $177.9 million, operating loss for the year totaled $54.3 million (GAAP) or $13.1... [CMSwire]