Musings on SharePoint add-ons and integrations with other ECM solutions. Watch the language used...
I recently started digging into various add-on solutions for MOSS 2007 for another project of mine. Focusing more around the Enterprise Content Management functionality than other SharePoint add-ons, I started looking at the products that were mentioned most often by the SharePoint experts I contacted. For those familiar with the topic, as you might expect, the names that came up most frequently were KnowledgeLake, OnBase and BA-Insight. In the area of web parts, Bamboo came up frequently.
I should note before I go further that this research is not yet complete, and that any opinions expressed here are simply mine and do not represent those of any other entity, living person or otherwise...and that I am not a SharePoint expert (yet). If I make any misrepresentations of any of any products mentioned, I apologize and will correct the same if brought to my attention...in other words, I am still learning and I might make some mistakes along the way. Hopefully that will suffice as a disclaimer :) To use a term shared with me by Bruce Stewart of Accendor Research, I am just a "seed" at this time relative to this topic. I welcome responses from those more knowledgeable on the topic....just don't flame me too much :). The purpose of these musings is simply to spur some discussion for the edification of the participants.
Before exploring these add-ons for comparison, I had to start by improving my knowledge about SharePoint 2007 and its functionality. One of the things I discovered was that the language used by these players in the ECM space can be very confusing...or obfuscating. For example, may of these solutions talk about their ability to reach out to disparate data sources in the enterprise and allow them to be exposed to SharePoint. I read something about Microsoft's Business Data Catalog which made it sound like this would enable this inclusion of backend data sources. Ok, so after asking more about it I understand that it currently enables SharePoint to reach out to these data sources, but only to search them. It doesn't (yet) allow SharePoint to provide content management services for the data such as archiving, compliance features, etc.
Another distinction with the various add-on solutions beyond what they can actually do once they reach out to these data sources using open protocols or proprietary APIs (another important factor), is which product's interface must be used to administer the functionality provided.
KnowledgeLake for example can reach out to these sources AND provide some ECM functionality...BUT, you have to use the KnowledgeLake interfaces to manage everything. IntelPath for example, can do the above AND allow administration to be managed throught the SharePoint interface. Other solutions such as OnBase and EMC Documentum have more ECM functionality, in fact are capable ECM solutions in their own right, yet I hear a number of architects discussing projects where they have integrated these with SharePoint. I understand that many companies want the MS Office integration and front-end functionality provided by Microsoft, and the power of true ECM not in SharePoint or WSS (yet) but provided by Documentum or OnBase, OpenText etc. The problem is that you end up with multiple interfaces to the same system, duplicate functionality etc. Everyone wants to own the front end, lest they be relegated to the "back end" so the interoperability is not really developed by either. Customers know that Microsoft is rapidly moving to the front of the ECM pack, that they already have SharePoint and WSS "portals" in their enterprise, so they may hesitate to puchase or expand their existing ECM platforms.
This situation has opened the door for SharePoint add-on vendors. There are many types of add-ons ranging from little web parts to rate documents with a number of stars to add-ons that turn SharePoint into a true ECM platform today. Because of the challenges mentioned above, I recommend that users be careful with these add-ons and make sure that the language you read means what you think it does. If it is important to you to use the SharePoint interfaces that your admins and users are comfortable with, make sure you ask that question. When they talk about integrating back end data sources, make sure you understand what that integration really is...i.e. what functionality is really possible with those data sources and what interface do you have to use in order to accomplish that?
I'd be interested in knowing more about what readers are specifically trying to accomplish with their combos of ECM systems and SharePoint together...or what non-existent functionality in SharePoint you are trying to augment...also what solutions you chose and why, and what other solutions you looked at before deciding on that you did. This is for discussion purposes only of course...I am doing some comparisons between IntelPath (relatively new to market) and other available ECM solutions for SharePoint and have much to learn :)
Anything you can share about your experiences with these...opinions etc is greatly appreciated...and I will share back some of the insights I am getting from these meetings I am having with SharePoint MVPs, solutions specialists, architects etc. Feel free to comment openly here in the blog or if you prefer, you can email me at ld@winchesterresearch.com and share your opinion which I will later post anonymously.
Lawrence
I should note before I go further that this research is not yet complete, and that any opinions expressed here are simply mine and do not represent those of any other entity, living person or otherwise...and that I am not a SharePoint expert (yet). If I make any misrepresentations of any of any products mentioned, I apologize and will correct the same if brought to my attention...in other words, I am still learning and I might make some mistakes along the way. Hopefully that will suffice as a disclaimer :) To use a term shared with me by Bruce Stewart of Accendor Research, I am just a "seed" at this time relative to this topic. I welcome responses from those more knowledgeable on the topic....just don't flame me too much :). The purpose of these musings is simply to spur some discussion for the edification of the participants.
Before exploring these add-ons for comparison, I had to start by improving my knowledge about SharePoint 2007 and its functionality. One of the things I discovered was that the language used by these players in the ECM space can be very confusing...or obfuscating. For example, may of these solutions talk about their ability to reach out to disparate data sources in the enterprise and allow them to be exposed to SharePoint. I read something about Microsoft's Business Data Catalog which made it sound like this would enable this inclusion of backend data sources. Ok, so after asking more about it I understand that it currently enables SharePoint to reach out to these data sources, but only to search them. It doesn't (yet) allow SharePoint to provide content management services for the data such as archiving, compliance features, etc.
Another distinction with the various add-on solutions beyond what they can actually do once they reach out to these data sources using open protocols or proprietary APIs (another important factor), is which product's interface must be used to administer the functionality provided.
KnowledgeLake for example can reach out to these sources AND provide some ECM functionality...BUT, you have to use the KnowledgeLake interfaces to manage everything. IntelPath for example, can do the above AND allow administration to be managed throught the SharePoint interface. Other solutions such as OnBase and EMC Documentum have more ECM functionality, in fact are capable ECM solutions in their own right, yet I hear a number of architects discussing projects where they have integrated these with SharePoint. I understand that many companies want the MS Office integration and front-end functionality provided by Microsoft, and the power of true ECM not in SharePoint or WSS (yet) but provided by Documentum or OnBase, OpenText etc. The problem is that you end up with multiple interfaces to the same system, duplicate functionality etc. Everyone wants to own the front end, lest they be relegated to the "back end" so the interoperability is not really developed by either. Customers know that Microsoft is rapidly moving to the front of the ECM pack, that they already have SharePoint and WSS "portals" in their enterprise, so they may hesitate to puchase or expand their existing ECM platforms.
This situation has opened the door for SharePoint add-on vendors. There are many types of add-ons ranging from little web parts to rate documents with a number of stars to add-ons that turn SharePoint into a true ECM platform today. Because of the challenges mentioned above, I recommend that users be careful with these add-ons and make sure that the language you read means what you think it does. If it is important to you to use the SharePoint interfaces that your admins and users are comfortable with, make sure you ask that question. When they talk about integrating back end data sources, make sure you understand what that integration really is...i.e. what functionality is really possible with those data sources and what interface do you have to use in order to accomplish that?
I'd be interested in knowing more about what readers are specifically trying to accomplish with their combos of ECM systems and SharePoint together...or what non-existent functionality in SharePoint you are trying to augment...also what solutions you chose and why, and what other solutions you looked at before deciding on that you did. This is for discussion purposes only of course...I am doing some comparisons between IntelPath (relatively new to market) and other available ECM solutions for SharePoint and have much to learn :)
Anything you can share about your experiences with these...opinions etc is greatly appreciated...and I will share back some of the insights I am getting from these meetings I am having with SharePoint MVPs, solutions specialists, architects etc. Feel free to comment openly here in the blog or if you prefer, you can email me at ld@winchesterresearch.com and share your opinion which I will later post anonymously.
Lawrence
posted by Winchester Research @ 5:08 AM
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