e.docs

By Liz Levy

B-toB Commerce Goes Online

If you are looking for a system that will let you share information and perform business transactions with your customers, partners, suppliers or vendors over the Web, Optika eMedia is worth looking into.

Optikaıs eMedia 1.0 ($150 per seat for 100 users) is an extranet software suite that integrates imaging, workflow and COLD-ERM. The 32-bit solution is built on a three-tier architecture with components fully integrated across client and server levels.

eMedia uses a single interface for accessing various data types, such as images or mainframe reports, regardless of which repository the data object resides in. Not everyone is ready to do business on the Web, so eMedia accommodates paper as well as electronic document processes.

eMedia was designed specifically for extranet/intranet applications and uses TCP/IP across all tiers to transfer data. The software provides multiple client interfaces, including production, Web browser and line-of-business, all based on the same underlying architecture. All clients are thin clients for simple installation and administration.

eMedia production clients can retrieve images, COLD-ERM reports or any other data type from a single search displayed in a desktop ıGalleryı that supports more than 200 file formats. The Gallery is a standout feature of eMedia. It offers a customized user interface for simultaneous viewing of multiple document types. Depending on their access rights, users can retrieve documents from across all repositories at the Gallery without needing to know which repository theyıre contacting.

Users can customize the appearance of the Gallery to their own liking, enlarging views of certain types of documents and decreasing others as they see fit. These settings can be saved so the interface will look exactly the same at the next start-up. Different Gallery templates can also be selected from a drop-down list. The Web client requires no installation ı only a browser supporting HTML, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. Active Server Pages (ASP) render information in HTML for cross-platform support. Using logins and passwords for system access, Web clients can search and view documents as in the production client, but you canıt use annotations or alter indexes over the Web. Workflow over Web clients is currently supported via Active X controls from the eMedia toolkit.

You can build custom applications incorporating the systemıs COLD-ERM, workflow, imaging and document management functions without programming. The eMedia developerıs toolkit offers Active X and COM components for functions such as search, view and print.

eMedia currently does not provide ODMA support to interface with other document management systems, and its document management capabilities are restricted to check in/check out and security. A document management partnership would help fill this gap.

Optika recently announced a deal with UWI.Com to integrate XML forms with eMedia. This will enhance the systemıs use for electronic business transactions.

Integration with e-commerce products will also be needed to make this a true business transaction tool. Optika is supporting the Microsoftıs Commerce Interface Pipeline (CIP) initiative to develop and publish E-commerce integration standards. This may provide more choices than selecting individual products to support.

Home Depot and ADP are among the first customers using eMedia to support transactions online. With this headstart, Optika is positioned to take advantage of the burgeoning e-commerce market.

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