ECM the next wave of 'must-have' SW

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) the next wave of "must have" software, after ERP and CRM is being increasingly viewed by businesses as an infrastructural requirement, and therefore critical to their operation. According to reports from Forrester Research Group the market for ECM software will be around $ 2.5 billion by 2005.

Service Oriented Architecture (SOAs) based on Web services are playing an increasingly important role in developing solutions for ECM, and vendors are looking at SOAs to implement content services will have a distinct competitive advantage.

Interwoven, Inc. is an enterprise content management (ECM) company. Interwoven's patented, ECM platform integrates the six pillars of content management: collaboration, document management, Web content management, digital asset management, e-mail management, and records management. Allied with the leading enterprise application providers, the Interwoven ECM platform provides complete content lifecycle management for more than 2,700 organizations worldwide including Air France, Citibank, Ford, General Electric, Jones Day, Pfizer, Procter and Gamble, and Yamaha. Interwoven has a strong foothold in India with development centres in Mumbai and Bangalore and provides a powerful launch pad for fulfilling the needs of its fast-growing Asia Pacific customer base.

What is ECM?

Enterprise content management (ECM) represents a strategy that helps organizations manage the ocean of content and the many points through which the content flows to employees, customers, partners, and other audiences. ECM applies to content across the enterprise and includes the activities of creation, review, management, distribution, capture, delivery, archival, and destruction of content.

What are the various features of an ECM system?

An ECM facilitates the efficient and effective production, dissemination, and use of content in a decentralized fashion. Important features of an ECM include Web Content Management, Document Management, Digital Asset Management, Records Management, E-Mail Management, and Collaboration. Collaboration is an essential feature because geographically dispersed teams accomplish content management.

What is the role of SOAs in ECM?

A Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) makes ECM available as a set of enterprise-wide services. ECM services can be classified into three broad categories: Content Integration, Content Distribution and Content Intelligence. Architectures based on SOA, realized as Web services, provide several advantages such as platform independence and dynamic discovery.

Can you tell us about Interwoven's ECM solution?

We have a suite of products that span the entire range of ECM. These include the following: TeamSite for Web Content Management, Worksite for Collaborative Document Management, MetaTagger for Content Intelligence, MediaBin for Digital Asset Managment, OpenDeploy for Content Deployment, and MailSite for E-Mail Management. Furthermore, we have an Enterprise

Application Connector Suite that provides connectors to a wide variety of enterprise systems. Finally, we provide Software Development Kits (SDKs) for enhanced customization of our products.

How is it different from other products available in the market?

The Interwoven 6 Product Suite delivers an open, scalable, and robust platform for all content management initiatives within enterprises. It is the best integrated product suite in the market, and is already being used by Global 2000 companies for multiple enterprise initiatives including brand management, enterprise portals, global Web content management, content distribution, collaboration, corporate governance, and online self-service.

What platforms does the product support?

Various platforms are supported depending on the product. Some products run on multiple platforms, including Windows, Unix, Solaris, and Linux, and support interfaces to J2EE, .NET, and COM.

Is your product making use of SOAs?

Yes. SOA is provided through Interwoven Content Services, which delivers the entire range of content contribution, versioning, metadata, security, and distribution capabilities for key enterprise initiatives.

What are the competition products in the market?

They include Documentum, OpenText, and FileNet.

What according to you is the future of ECM systems in India?

We see a great potential for ECM based initiatives such as brand management, deal management, online self-service, financial compliance and collaboration on contracts. Organizations such as Asian Paints, Bharti Televenture, Citibank, Hyundai Motor Company, LG-Caltex Oil Corporation, Samsung Electronics, Visa and Yamaha are already using our solutions.

What are your plans for India ?

The Bangalore centre will play an integral role in helping Interwoven realize its vision of Content network. In addition to creating an immediate extension to Interwoven's R&D organization, Bangalore centre would also establish an offshore platform that could scale easily to address future needs. The centre will increase development capabilities and contribute to the creation of additional IP for Interwoven.