AIIM has released an updated version of their document “Analysis, Selection and Implementation of Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS)”. The document was first published in 2001, but technology has changed a lot over the last eight years. Even the definition of ECM has changed numerous times since AIIM first coined the term in 2000.
In 2005 AIIM defined ECM as follows:
“Enterprise Content Management is the technologies used to Capture, Manage, Store, Preserve, and Deliver content and documents related to organizational processes.”
In 2006 AIIM added the additional sentence to the definition:
“ECM tools and strategies allow the management of an organization’s unstructured information, wherever that information exists.”
In early 2008 AIIM changed the original definition to:
“Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is the strategies, methods and tools used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver content and documents related to organizational processes.”
The updated report tries to capture best practices around ECM. The document outlines the recommended guidelines and activities needed to implement an ECM system. It also recommends technical reports, guidelines and standards that are relevant to ECM and document management systems.
The AIIM report can be downloaded here: http://www.aiim.org/standards/article.aspx?ID=36656.
Google has announced their vision of web Collaboration, and they’re calling it ‘Wave’.
There’s similarities between Google wave and Microsoft SharePoint and Alfresco’s Share application, but there’s a lot that’s new or at least has been recrafted with a different twist. Google’s Lars Rasmussen described the idea as follows:
“A wave is equal parts conversation and document, where people can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps and more. In Google Wave you create a wave and add people to it. Everyone on your wave can use richly formatted text, photos, gadgets, and even feeds from other sources on the Web. They can insert a reply or edit the wave directly. It’s concurrent rich-text editing, where you see on your screen nearly instantly what your fellow collaborators are typing in your wave.”
Google Wave is designed as the “next generation” of Internet communication. Instead of sending a message and its entire thread of previous messages or requiring all responses to be stored in each user’s inbox for context, objects known as “waves” contain a complete thread of multimedia messages (blips) and are located on a central server. Waves are shared and collaborators can be added or removed at any point during a wave’s existence.
Some of the features that Wave will offer include:
- Google will host Wave, but since the Wave project is Open Source and you could also choose to host it on your own computers, just like an Exchange or SharePoint server.
- Wave offers live Wiki-style Collaborative Editing. Changes are real time and similar to an IM.
- Email-like features, but organized in a way that more efficiently allows collaboration, eliminating complex email trails and simplifying the use of file-uploads and attachments.
- Extensibility. Third-party developers can extend Wave by offering plug-in gadgets and robots.
- Designed to combine and mash-up content from all over the internet
Not available until later in 2009…
Alfresco has just released the Community version of their ECM suite and it can be downloaded from the Alfresco wiki. It’s a preliminary release of new features which are slated for delivery in the Enterprise version due out sometime in August. As usual, Alfresco doesn’t disappoint with the list of new features that are part of this release.
Most new development in this release targets the Alfresco Share/Surf platform rather than their older JSF-based Alfresco explorer client. Compliance with 5015.2 Records Management ranks high on the items in this release. The date is scheduled in September when Alfresco will take the DoD certification test head on. There will be a new system for metadata management, lifecycle management, enhanced auditing and improved workflow. To support 5015.2 special requirements they have created a special Share site that will be offered as a plugin called the ‘Records Site’.
Alfresco Version 3.2 also intoduces support for mobile devices, like the iPhone. Dubbed the ‘Alfresco Smartphone client’, and again based on the Share/Surf platfor, users are able to search for and view content via their smartphone. It’s a lot like the normal Alfresco Share application, but it has been redesigned for the smaller form factor.
Alfresco has been continuing their work on the CMIS standard. With the version 3.2 release, Alfresco bills themselves as the most CMIS-compliant vendor. Alfresco is clearly ready for the release of the CMIS standard expected late this year or early 2010.
But wait, there’s more! Alfresco 3.2 also offers IMAP support which means that you can map an email client to the Alfresco content repository. That means that you’ll be able to interact with Alfresco workflows directly inside your email client.
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