ECM: solutions for diverse content
Another new feature is a connector to Microsoft SharePoint, which allows users to access DocuShare from the SharePoint portal. "Many companies are using DocuShare as a replacement for shared drives and to continue getting their paper documents out of file boxes," Lincoln adds. As a Web-based product, DocuShare provides access from any location that has Internet service.
Seeking a responsive system
In the early 1900s, the seven states that form the Colorado River basin, along with the federal government, created the Colorado River Compact to allocate the water among the states. The Central Arizona Project (CAP) now distributes water to three counties in Arizona from its allocated share. CAP includes a 336-mile system of canals, aqueducts and pipelines that runs from Lake Havasu City to Tucson.
As a major construction and engineering project, CAP maintained many different types of content, from engineering drawings to technical manuals and formal records, but the files were scattered across the organization. In addition, records management policies could not be automatically applied to the files. CAP, which is subject to compliance requirements related to health, worker safety and environmental regulations, wanted a content management system that could be responsive to those needs.
CAP selected OpenText Content Server and OpenText Records Management. The organization rolled out the solution sequentially, beginning with the drawing management system. The OpenText software has allowed CAP to improve accessibility and has eliminated redundant files. In addition, e-forms have been developed to manage travel reimbursements, which previously were paper-based. User satisfaction has been high, and a recent measurement of usage showed an increase of 18 percent, indicating growing acceptance.
Archiving all content types
The greater diversity in file types is expected to continue. Lubor Ptacek, VP of strategic marketing at OpenText, says, "I see no end to the number of new content types. For example, security cameras now produce digitized video files, and digital recordings of phone calls are commonplace. Not only may these files be needed for operational purposes, but they may be subject to governance as well."
Centralizing all files in one repository is not feasible because the usage patterns and other elements such as metadata vary so widely. "A document management system is not the right place for images and other rich media," Ptacek says. "The business processes and tagging are different. So these assets should stay in their native repository while they are being used. But for compliance purposes, you may need to apply the same policies to these assets as to documents."
OpenText handles that issue with Archive Server, which can archive all content types, including social media and rich media. "After a business rule has been met—if the file has not been accessed in a year, for example—then it can be moved to the Archive Server, where retention policies can be applied," Ptacek explains. A stub left in the original repository allows access until the file is deleted. That approach saves storage space while ensuring uniform application of retention policies.
Whether the content is a document, a video or a microblog, enterprises must be able to manage it for operational or compliance purposes, which becomes more complex as content grows in volume and diversity. Gartner's Gilbert says, "Organizations need to strike a balance between proper governance of the many types of content held by an organization and allowing users the freedom to share it both within and outside of the organization. If the control process becomes too onerous, users will either be hampered in their business activities or they will find ways around the controls."
Understanding the nature of the content, its purpose and the associated processes will allow organizations to optimize its value and effectively support their business functions.