Scaling Up EDM -- A Look at Enterprise Systems
Every document management vendor claims that their system is "enterprise," but what does that really mean? Doculabs explains and helps you sort out the differences among some of the leading EDM systems.
By Jeetu Patel and Joe Fenner
August 1998
Document management (DM) systems provide a great way to bring order to the chaos of your document creation, modification and sharing. DM software provides the ability to store files in a central repository, control access to those files, keep a history of activity and changes in the managed documents and allow users to search for documents on either content or index terms.
Everywhere you look in the DM industry these days, you hear about the "enterprise." Almost every vendor claims to have a solution that is built to bring DM to the entire enterprise.
But what exactly does "enterprise" mean? A few years ago, vendors who talked enterprise were mostly talking about the ability to exist on a large number of seats throughout an organization. But if you're looking at enterprise DM today, you're looking at more than just a certain number of users.
If you want enterprise DM, you probably want every person in your organization to have access to the DM system and the same logical repository -- even if your people or offices are in different geographical areas. You want to tie the system to your existing business systems. You want deployment and maintenance to be as painless as possible. You want your IT staff to be able to leverage their existing skills in managing the DM system. And you want the system to be highly reliable and available. (For a complete list of the factors that are important for enterprise deployments, see sidebar "Defining 'Enterprise' DM").
So which DM systems are truly enterprise-ready? Although no product is 100% there yet, most of the leading DM solutions have made great strides in the past year or so. In this article, we take a look at products from eight of the DM industry's major players -- Documentum, Eastman Software, FileNet, Lotus, NetRight, NovaSoft, Open Text and PC Docs. To varying degrees, all of these vendors offer solutions that can be considered "enterprise."
Documentum
Documentum (Pleasanton, CA 925-463-6800) has enjoyed considerable success by marketing its DM solution as a value-add solution for document-centric business processes. The company has developed packaged applications for specific vertical markets, and the results have been impressive.
Documentum's product, Enterprise Document Management System (EDMS), starts with a solid core architecture that has scaling potential. The central component of Documentum EDMS is the DocPage Server that manages the Docbases and handles much of the system processing. The server provides all management capabilities, including security, storage and full-text indexing.
The three-tier system is flexible enough for multi-server configurations, and can balance processing across physical machines. The system also provides strong replication capabilities that are ideal for companies with geographically separated offices that need to access the same documents.
Documentum provides sophisticated DM features. And while the system is offered in tailor-made packages for certain application types, it is also open enough to allow integrators or developers to build tailored solutions on top of the EDMS back-end. The system also leverages key industry standards.
For the Web, Documentum offers SmartSpace Intranet, which offers the same capabilities as the full-featured EDMS client. In addition, Documentum offers a Web site content management solution called RightSite that leverages the core EDMS offering. In most organizations, there is a separation between the content creators and the content publishers. RightSite automates the publishing process, allowing content creators to specify which version or rendition of a document is the "published" version and the one to which users will have access. When users request information, RightSite dynamically assembles and presents the information based on the user's privileges and preferences.
Documentum provides a solid architecture for large-scale deployment and sophistication for document-centric business processes such as standard operating procedures or new drug approvals. However, the system can be complex to deploy, and its vertical focus means that it will more likely be used for specific mission-critical applications, rather than general-purpose DM that sits on everyone's desktop .
Eastman Software
Eastman Software (Billerica, MA 978-967-8000) has a strong presence in the EDMS industry with a healthy install base of its core imaging, workflow and COLD solutions. However, it is a new player in the DM industry, with its recent introduction of Document Manager for Exchange, or DMX.
DMX is designed to leverage an organization's existing investment in Microsoft Exchange. Unlike traditional DM systems that use a relational database, DMX uses Exchange Public Folders to store all profile information and metadata. This eliminates the need for administrators to maintain a separate database just for the DM system. In addition, DMX inherits Windows NT user and group definitions and security, which greatly simplifies administration.
The scalability of DMX is directly tied to Exchange. Exchange is designed to support thousands of users, and it is typically pervasive within organizations. Likewise, DMX can reside on every desktop in the organization that uses Exchange. And as Exchange itself starts taking better advantage of Microsoft's middleware and Windows NT services (message queuing, transaction monitors, etc.), DMX will inherit the reliability and availability that these services provide.
DMX provides good general-purpose DM capabilities, so it can be used for different DM needs in a variety of departments or organizations. In addition, the system is easy enough to use that even novices will not be intimidated.
The system looks and acts like what it is: an extension of the Exchange environment that users can access directly from their Microsoft Exchange or Outlook clients. For this reason, DMX stands a good chance of winding up on every desktop in an enterprise. Users can alternatively access DMX from Microsoft Office tools such as Word and PowerPoint (using ODMA), and from the DMX Neighborhood client.
Still, DMX is not for everyone. It requires Exchange and Windows NT, so it is not a solution for enterprises that use other platforms and environments. It does not currently have a strong Web offering, and Exchange's own Web capabilities are still lacking.
FileNet
FileNet (Costa Mesa, CA 714-966-3400), the industry leader in the broad EDMS market (imaging, workflow and DM), recently unveiled its Panagon IDM desktop . This is the first step in the company's attempt to integrate its disparate EDMS product lines into a unified offering.
The Panagon desktop client greatly simplifies matters for end-users. The client runs on Windows 95, Windows NT or any Web browser. The desktop provides a common window into any of FileNet's products that may be installed at the customer site. A key feature of the Panagon IDM desktop is Windows NT shell integration; if your organization is using Windows NT, the various EDMS repositories can appear as logical drives in the network system.
While FileNet's front end is now integrated, the various EDMS back-end services are still separate. The DM repository and services are provided by Panagon IDM Document Services (formerly Saros), which is a mature, enterprise solution that provides good DM functionality.
The system supports a wide variety of platforms, which is helpful for organizations with mixed environments. Administrators can configure the system to bypass the Panagon IDM Document Services logon and use network logon information, or to automatically connect users to libraries. The system is customizable, and it allows administrators to build custom interfaces with tailored "views" that allow different users to be presented with different interfaces containing specific properties.
The system provides good scalability. It includes a replication option for geographically dispersed organizations. Documents and properties can be replicated across databases on a schedule, or based on changes and modifications. This is handy for Web publishing applications, allowing you to automatically replicate your most current documents to the Web. In addition, Panagon IDM Document Services can migrate documents from one location to another, such as from a work-in-progress repository to a long-term archive.
Overall, Panagon IDM Document services is a big step forward for FileNet, and shows that the company is finally starting to deliver on its product line integration strategy. The new system provides better accessibility and usability, while maintaining the enterprise focus of the DM back-end.
Lotus Development
Like Eastman Software's DMX, Lotus' (Cambridge, MA 617-577-8500) Domino.Doc is a groupware-based DM system. It's designed for the Lotus Notes/Domino environment. At a high level, Domino.Doc has the same strategy as DMX: use the groupware system as the application infrastructure for the DM system. Domino.Doc uses Lotus Notes databases to store document and profile information, so there is no need for a separate relational database. Domino.Doc is simply a Notes application, so the Domino server handles all system processing.
As a Notes application, Domino.Doc will be simple for Notes users to learn. The Domino.Doc interface can be through a Notes database on the desktop. The Domino.Doc client provides users with the full range of DM functionality, including administrative capabilities. Domino's Web server capabilities also allow users to access the system through a Web browser. In addition, users can access the DM repository from desktop applications via ODMA integration - even over the Web.
Architecturally, Domino. Doc uses Notes databases to store all content and profile information. The system actually divides a document repository across multiple databases, primarily to overcome a Notes limitation on the size of a database. While this provides better performance, it may be initially confusing for users or administrators.
Domino.Doc leverages the scalability of Lotus Notes, which is designed to support thousands of users -- typically every user in the company. This means that any user who has access to the document repository databases will have access to the Domino. Doc system. The system also leverages Notes' security, as well as its messaging architecture, replication and collaborative features. For example, notifications can automatically be sent to users when a new file cabinet is created, letting them know they have access to the system.
If your shop is already using Notes and Domino enterprise-wide, Domino.Doc is a simple way to add enterprise DM to your infrastructure at a reasonable price. The system provides good general-purpose DM capabilities. You can do everything over the Web that you can do in a client/server environment.
NetRight Technologies
NetRight's iManage is a feature-rich DM product with an open architecture and strong database support. In addition to a good client/server-based offering, NetRight (Sunnyvale, CA 408-523-4005) offers a Java-based client for Internet users (iManage Internet). The Java interface includes all of the functionality of the core product, making it a good solution for users who access the system in different ways.
In version 4.0, the middle-tier application server for the Web version is also available for client/server environments. This improves scalability and makes the system easier to manage and deploy. The basic three-tier architecture is a stable foundation for enterprise DM applications. An important new feature of 4.0 is a unified server model in which browser clients and full 32-bit clients can work off the same server. This makes sense because it requires less administration and produces less confusion if the system goes down.
iManage can leverage security from Novell's NDS and Windows NT domains, simplifying life for administrators. Users and groups can be synchronized with the network operating system at any time. In addition, iManage offers role-based security that is easier to implement and maintain than user and group security. iManage enforces field-level control both on creation and on searches. The system also provides database and client recovery features for transaction integrity.
The system's DM features are satisfactory, providing easy-to-use implementations of the standard DM services. Searching is effective, it lets users simultaneously search multiple databases of multiple types and see a unified view of the concatenated results, and to view multiple documents at the same time with the MDI interface. A batch loader that brings lots of files into the document store is especially useful early in a system's deployment.
While the system is well on its way to being a solid, all-around enterprise solution, it still lacks some enterprise capabilities. For example, the server does not integrate with the Windows NT Performance Monitor, and no dynamic load balancing is provided. This makes it difficult to optimize distribution of requests across application servers. But NetRight's intention to add fail-over support and clustering promises a continuing evolution for improved scalability.
NovaSoft
NovaSoft (Burlington, MA 781-221-0465) is one of the more established vendors in the DM and process automation arena. NovaSoft recently released Novation 2.0, its re-architected system based on JavaBeans component architecture. The new architecture enables the rapid change of business processes as conditions dictate and easily integrates with existing systems.
The new implementation provides a three-tier, component-based architecture that is designed to leverage the benefits of Java and the Internet. Novation uses JavaBeans to separate the application into visual components that can be customized and non-visual components that maintain the business logic. This component architecture approach provides rapid application development for quickly modifying and extending the system to meet the needs of changing business conditions. This approach also allows the system to integrate more easily with mission-critical business applications.
The system is scaleable. It can take advantage of the processing power of client machines without requiring software to be installed on every client. The main server can distribute queries to other servers in a round-robin fashion for basic load balancing, dividing the processing load across multiple machines. Novation also allows organizations to distribute repositories across multiple file servers, contributing to its ability to scale.
For document management functionality, Novation retains the strengths of the core NovaManage system, which is a good process-centric DM solution. The system includes well-evolved workflow capabilities to go along with sophisticated DM features. In addition, the system comes with toolkits that let you customize the system to meet different application needs.
From a user standpoint, Novation is relatively intuitive, using a familiar nested folder containment model. A file can appear in multiple logical folders without requiring multiple copies. The system can even track "non-resident" documents, allowing users to search for profile information on documents that are not actually stored within the system (such as documents in an offline archive, or paper documents).
Overall, the Novation architecture represents an improvement on NovaManage's solid foundation. However, the system still lacks a few key architectural features, such as replication, which would help the system better handle the needs of geographically dispersed organizations that have to share documents. In addition, the system does not yet support the ODMA standard and does not provide much integration with desktop applications such as word processing.
Open Text
Open Text (Waterloo, Ontario 519-888-7111) has been highly successful over the past few years in selling Livelink Intranet, the company's DM solution for intranets. With the browser-based, thin-client system, it doesn't matter what platform the client machines are running, and deployment is greatly simplified. In addition, Livelink Intranet's architecture lends itself to large user bases of tens of thousands of seats that may be in any location.
Another appealing aspect of the product is that it's more than just DM; it's a collaborative computing environment similar to groupware, with tightly integrated information retrieval and workflow. The product uses a project metaphor for collaborating on work. When a new project is created, it has its own home page that allows users to access the versions of the associated documents. The project home page includes collaborative features such as discussion threads and project-related news channels. Livelink also provides an integrated, Java-based graphical workflow system.
Livelink Intranet is easy to learn and includes strong search capabilities that leverage Open Text's own information retrieval technology. Livelink's HTML-based interfaces will be intuitive for anyone who knows how to browse the Web, and users can customize their own search interfaces. Unfortunately, the HTML interfaces make the user experience more like navigating the Web than using a business application with rich interfaces. However, the new Livelink Explorer ActiveX control provides a familiar drag-and-drop interface for navigating through the system.
For administrators, Livelink eliminates the need to install client software on every machine, which simplifies rollout and maintenance. For security, Livelink supports both authentication and encryption on the browser and server. The system includes its own performance monitors, auto-failure detection and reporting utilities, but does not integrate with such features provided in the operating system.
As for back-end scalability, Livelink supports multi-server and clustered server environments, and provides replication for dispersed environments, data redundancy and backup. Open Text provides APIs and a development kit for integration with business systems. The company also offers some packaged integrations, such as for SAP and Lotus Domino.
Overall, Livelink Intranet makes sense for companies that want to use their intranet as the application platform for document management, workflow, search and collaboration. You can involve large numbers of users in your document-oriented business processes while simplifying the effort required to roll out the system. Still, Livelink Intranet could stand some improvement in interface design and integration with desktop applications; at this writing, the system still lacks ODMA for integration with desktop applications, so checking documents in or out is a two-step process.
PC Docs
PC Docs (Burlington, MA 617-273-3800) is one of the more established vendors in the DM space. The company's popular Docs Open system provides a wealth of DM features, and it is relatively easy to use.
Traditionally, the Docs Open system used a two-tier, fat-client architecture that limited its scalability and enterprise applicability. That, however, has quickly changed. The company's latest version of CyberDocs uses a new server back-end called Docs Fusion Server. This configuration gives the system a true three-tiered architecture that will help it address enterprise needs.
The Docs Fusion server is tightly linked with Microsoft's BackOffice model and leverages Microsoft standards. One advantage of this approach is that both client and server can use existing network security, including aliases and groups, without having to replicate the effort within the DM system. DocsFusion Server exposes objects to the Windows NT Performance Monitor, so administrators can better track system performance using NT utilities.
Functionally, PC Docs provides sophisticated, feature-rich software. Organizations can use templates provided with the product to quickly customize special-purpose applications. The searching feature lets users search across multiple libraries and receive a unified hit list. One server can store multiple libraries, or a single library can span multiple servers, providing configuration flexibility. The standard Docs Open client is intuitive; the latest CyberDocs interface has a similar look and feel as Microsoft Outlook and makes good use of Java to make it more interactive than standard HTML.
PC Docs makes a good product for companies that want a solid DM solution from an established vendor with lots of strategic partnerships. As an enterprise solution, the new CyberDocs/DocsFusion architecture is a big improvement. However, the product still lacks capabilities that some enterprise applications require, such as replication, transaction monitoring and load balancing.
The Best Enterprise System
Clearly, all of these vendors offer solutions that can be considered "enterprise" to varying degrees, but no single vendor provides the ultimate solution for every possible deployment. Therefore, it is critical that you understand the DM needs of your own enterprise before you start judging the applicability of different products. And remember that other factors besides features will be important to you - factors such as the vendor's size and market position, support capabilities, vision, and future direction.
But at the end of the day, your definition of "best" will depend on what you want to use DM for in the first place. For example, if you want a sophisticated DM system that leverages your Windows NT infrastructure for manageability, look at products like those from PC Docs or NetRight. If you need general-purpose DM for every user in your organization and you want to leverage your existing group ware investment, take a look at Eastman Software's DMX and Lotus' Domino. Doc. If you want to add document and process management to your mission-critical business applications, consider products from Documentum, FileNET, and NovaSoft. If you want to use your intranet as the application platform for document management, workflow, and collaboration, look at Open Text's Livelink Intranet.
Keep in mind that the products we have discussed are far from being the only viable players in the DM market today. The DM field is crowded, with plenty of other vendors that have entered the market over the past few years with innovative offerings.
Vendors like InterTech Information Management (Atlanta, Georgia 770-804-8080, www.intertech.com) and Keymage (Lexington, Mass. 888-539-6243, www.keymage.com) are concentrating on DM that is tightly coupled with the Windows NT infrastructure. IntraNet Solutions (Mineapolis, Minnesota 612-903-2000, www.intranetsol.com) offers Intra.doc, which provides a strong combination of DM services and Web publishing capabilities, using intranets as the backbone and application medium.
EZPower Systems (Philadelphia, Penn. 215-496-1700, www.ezpower.com) provides PowerOffice, which focuses on Web content management through the integration of document management services with customers' existing line-of-business databases. TIMS (Montreal, Quebec Canada 514-849-2677, www.timstech.com) offers Saperion, which provides an integrated suite of DM, imaging, COLD, jukebox management, and workflow event management.
Clearly, the DM field is crowded, and customers have more options than ever before. So how do you decide which product is right for you? It is critical to understand your organization's specific requirements and weigh the strengths of the different products against those requirements.
What's Next for Enterprise DM?
The next big trend for DM will be to extend beyond the enterprise to provide inter-enterprise solutions that involve users outside your organization. With capabilities such as version control, security and rendition support, document management systems are uniquely poised to play a role in any transactional system that involves content delivery over the Web.
Think about applications such as dynamic Web publishing, in which users outside your organization can query the document repository and access only the versions of documents that they are allowed to see. Or take e-commerce applications, in which you want to manage all the documents involved in a discrete business transaction, such as with a supplier or major customer. For these kinds of applications, DM systems should be able to play a role in managing the documents related to the core business process, and in providing tightly controlled access to those documents.
But the challenges of enterprise DM are only magnified in inter-enterprise DM. The systems need to provide good performance, even if loads are unpredictable and highly variable. And availability and reliability are critical, especially if your outside users are customers, prospects or suppliers.
Jeetu Patel is vice president of research and Joe Fenner is senior technical writer at Doculabs (Chicago 312-433-7793), an advisory firm specializing in information management and Internet technologies. The company has published a comparative assessment of DM products. For more information, email info@doculabs.com or browse www.doculabs.com
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