The Kiss Principle for ECM
Transform Magazine
by Lowell Rapaport
San Francisco, CA, April, 2003 - Today's business climate has all kinds of organizations scrambling to save money even as enterprise content management vendors develop newer, more powerful software and numerous add-on features. So what's an organization to do if it wants to gain control of information while keeping things simple and low cost?
According to Garth Landers, content management analyst with Stamford, CT-based Gartner Group, there is a class of users who are not being served by the trend toward sophisticated, high-end enterprise content management (ECM) systems. "These users are looking for tactical solutions to their document and content management needs," says Landers. "Many users are looking for systems that offer basic library functions without the services like workflow that drive up the cost of ECM."
For those seeking a basic repository where documents, emails and other content can be stored, retrieved and shared - and little else - two options are available in the Xythos WebFile Server and Oracle Files.
According to San Francisco-based Xythos, WebFile supports most content management library functions at a fraction of the cost of a full ECM system. The software costs between $10 and $50 per client, compared to higher-end content management systems that can cost more than $600 per seat.
The Web-based WebFile product offers all the library controls built into the WebDAV protocol, including check-in/check-out, version control, version history and the ability for users to control a Web file system as if it were a volume on a local computer. The same library features are available through both Web browsers and WebDAV-compliant desktop applications. The product uses a Web server to mount files and folders online, and users can browse and access the files through a Web portal or through a WebDAV client.
WebFile security is based on access control lists that determine who has access to read, write, delete and establish sharing permissions. This method of access control lets a WebDAV client such as Windows XP natively handle the security arrangements without adding extra dialog boxes. It also reduces the need to create special repository-aware dialog boxes for productivity applications such as Microsoft Office. On the downside, this approach does not support role-based security.
Xythos' Intellitach technology eases collaboration by letting users email each other Web links to files rather than the files themselves. This prevents the creation of large numbers of email-attached files separate from the content management system, and it spares email systems the burden of the extra storage and bandwidth demands that come with attachments.
The striking architectural feature of Xythos is its decentralized repository. On the theory that databases should be used to manage only structured data, Xythos' repository of unstructured content is built right on top of a server's native file system. The company says this strategy saves money by avoiding the costs of a large-scale database and it offers greater flexibility as to where and how files are stored. WebFile Server can issue queries to content within databases, treating the database the same way it treats any other storage volume.
In contrast to integrated content management suites, it may be difficult to add services on top of WebFile. If an enterprise wants to add workflows, for example, WebFile could be used as a repository feeding into a stand-alone workflow system, but this would require custom integration.
"To their credit, Xythos doesn't claim WebFile to be anything other than it is," says Landers of Gartner. "The product has no services other than what is necessary to store, retrieve and share files."
The Oracle 'Put it in the Database' Answer
Underlying Oracle's various business suites, including the Collaboration Suite and the E-Business Suite, is Oracle Files (formerly Oracle IFS), which is described as a lightweight content management system for general-purpose use. Also available as a stand-alone product, Oracle Files is based on the company's Content Management software development kit and application programming interface, which let developers create custom ECM systems directly within Oracle database software.
Oracle Files is more expensive than Xythos' WebFile Server, but it offers more functionality. In addition to content management library functions such as version control and check-in/check-out, Oracle Files supports basic workflow and role-based security. The workflow is designed to make sure users selected by an administrator will see content. Security roles are limited to administrator, participant and viewer. Users can access and share files on Windows and Sun network file systems as well as over the Internet using WebDAV, file transfer protocol (FTP) and through Web browsers.
Naturally, Oracle Files stores content within an Oracle database. Oracle says this centralized approach simplifies administration and backup and leverages the security built into Oracle database software. Also, Oracle Files can easily deal with both structured and unstructured data. As a demonstration of this ability, both Oracle Collaboration Suite and E-Business Suite use Oracle Files to store content. The Collaboration Suite addresses largely unstructured content, such as documents and email, while the E-Business Suite addresses largely structured content, such as financial reports and invoices.
In terms of content management, Landers says Xythos WebFile Server and Oracle Files don't have many cutting-edge features. "These products are similar to where document management was in the early and mid 1990s," he says. "The main difference between then and now is the addition of Web technology keeping client costs down."