Unlocking Value in Content Management

ECM systems often become content silos, accessible only by a limited set of applications and users. Organizations want to break open those silos, according to a new reader survey by InformationWeek Analytics. We asked if ECM systems would play a greater role in the enterprise if applications could be more easily integrated. Thirty-two percent say yes, they'd like their apps and users to be able to get content out of ECM platforms. Another 27 percent want to put more content into ECM systems for compliance and retention purposes.We also asked about barriers to such integration. Respondents rated time constraints and costs as the most significant barriers to connecting apps/users and ECM systems. Other barriers include a lack of in-house expertise.

This contrast between what enterprises want and what they feel capable of achieving may mean good things for the CMIS standards effort. The Content Management Interoperability Services standard, which is being overseen by OASIS, creates a set of Web services that make it easier for applications to connect to disparate content management platforms, making the content stored in those repositories more available.

For instance, enterprise search software or collaboration applications could use the standard to find and share content. Web 2.0 mashups could be written to pull information from multiple repositories using CMIS as a common interface instead of creating custom connections.

Software developers will have a common framework for building applications that can talk to multiple content repositories, which will save both time and money because they only have to write one application instead of creating custom integration point for different ECM platforms.

A draft specification of the standard is currently open for public comment. The comment period will end on December 22nd. The standard's backers, including IBM, EMC and Microsoft, expect ratification in early 2010, with product support to follow.According to our exclusive survey results, enterprises want more integration with content management systems, but cost and time stand in the way.