How to Specify and Buy an ECM System:
A Practical Guide
Independent. Detailed. Practical.
Specific advice. Best-practice approaches. The Real Story.
Alan Pelz-Sharpe
Principal & Partner
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Real Story Group
Research and advisory services to help you make the right
technology and strategy decisions.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Do NOT select a product prematurely
• Don’t select an ECM/DM tool before
developing solid requirements and business
case
---------------------------------------
• Best practice: Gather thorough
requirements, but only after establishing a
business case to shape and discipline the
process. Then select a package that truly
meets your needs.
• Consider issuing an RFI before an RFP
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Figure out where you are - do you even need
more software?
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Do NOT issue checklist RFPs (unless you have to)
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Do NOT issue checklist RFPs (unless you have to)
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
A checklist alternative
• Document ”As is” and ”To be”
• Scenarios
– Write testable stories
– What you can learn
– Include
• People, processes, systems
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
A checklist alternative
• Document ”As is” and ”To be”
• Scenarios
– Write testable stories
– What you can learn
– Include
• People, processes, systems
The difference is rarely the WHAT, it’s the HOW…
and, you get what you ask for…
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Example
Jack receives many thousands of Journals each year, these need to be
scanned and made into electronic format. In addition he receives
content in the form of PDF's, XML documents, HTML, CD ROM and an
ever increasing number of file formats.The content covers over 50
languages. It is critical that each received document is captured and
indexed as soon as possible, typically within hours of receipt.
Currently Jack achieves this by scanning identified content through 5
production scanning stations and converting the capture to TIFF. These
TIFF images are later viewed by analysts who extract key information for
indexing.
Jack would like to be able to OCR and create PDF files in addition to the
TIFF images automatically - the OCR system though needs to handle all
or many of the various languages and character sets. Additionally Jack
would like to be able to recognize images within captured files and
extract these - and would like to configure the system to recognize key
words and collections of words and characters in the captured file, to
enhance the future analysis process.
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Do NOT assume
that there is a BEST vendor/product
GEEKS MYSTICS
LOSERS POSERS
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Do NOT assume
that there is a BEST vendor/product
GEEKS MYSTICS
LOSERS POSERS
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Open Text Family Tree
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Autonomy Family Tree
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Running a demo
• Make sure your team is represented
• Beware of the “canned” demos
• Demo your scenarios
• Each vendor should demo same
scenarios
• Ask the tough questions
– Especially around pricing
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Do NOT buy without test driving
Test any software with real users before you
sign a contract
• You need to know that the software
will work in your environment (server
builds, security, etc.)
• Vendor salespeople are not always…
candid
• You think you know your
requirements, but you actually don’t
until real screens are painted
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Do NOT underestimate usability
• It may seem obvious, but…
• You won’t know which is easiest to use
until your users it
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Do NOT assume WHO you will be working with
Meet the team who will work with you
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Do NOT underestimate costs
• Work to normalize pricing:
• per CPU
• per server
• per domain
• per contributor
• per power contributor
• per content item
• per developer
• per optional module
• per year, and, frequently ...
• ... some combination of the above
Copyright © 2010 Real Story Group
Thursday, June 17, 2010
2010 Content Technology Vendor Map Real Story Group’s vendor evaluations and advisory services have
KEY
Enterprise Content Management helped thousands of organizations find their way. We can help you too.
(Continues 50km
Web Content Management to University)
Portals & Content Integration Take a test ride—download a sample today:
Web Analytics – LUCENE – METALOGIX www.realstorygroup.com/try
Search & Information Access
Multichannel Publishing – THUNDERSTONE – BAMBOO SOLUTIONS
To: XMLand
Collaboration & Social Software YAHOO!
– DIESELPOINT INTELLITRACKER
LYRIS
Digital Asset Management – QUEST UNICA
NEDSTAT WEBTRENDS
SharePoint Add-ons
– ISYS – WIDEN
BA–INSIGHT – COREMETRICS
To: AT INTERNET – JUSTSYSTEMS –
NORTH PLAINS
Video – VIVISIMO – JACKBE – FEDORA
Drive NEWSGATOR –
MEDIABEACON
KIT DIGITAL – ENDECA
GOOGLE – WSO2 – ADAM
– PTC
DAY CORASWORKS – RECOMMIND
WAVE – KAPOW – CANTO DTSEARCH
VYRE – COVEO EXALEAD
SINEQUA
– HIPPO IBM ORACLE/SUN
XEROX HP ALFRESCO MICROSOFT SAPERION ADOBE
NEWGEN SPRINGCM
–
–
–
–
–
LASERFICHE
NUXEO OPEN TEXT/ EMC AUTONOMY/ EVER HYLAND
VIGNETTE INTERWOVEN – COREMEDIA
– CA MAGNOLIA –
SALESFORCE –
QUARK –
–
BROADVISION – – ALTERIAN
– CISCO EXO – VASONT – KICKAPPS
TYPO3 – SAP
– FABASOFT KNOWLEDGELAKE – EMPOLIS SDL TRIDION TRISOFT AUTHORIT
–
–
–
EZ PUBLISH – – JIVE – AVEPOINT SIBERLOGIC MARK LOGIC
– UPORTAL
MOVEABLE TYPE – – EKTRON
– DOCUWARE
OMNIRIM –
DOTNETNUKE – WORDPRESS
– BLUEKIWI – PERCUSSION KENTICO TERMINALFOUR
– BLUESPRING
–
– LIFERAY
–
– OBJECTIVE FATWIRE SITECORE E-SPIRIT
JOOMLA – – TELERIK
NINTEX –
– TELLIGENT
– K2 – PLUCK HANNON HILL –
OPENCMS – – JETSPEED
GLOBAL360
–
–
– AWARENESS
–
EPISERVER –
IDEVFACTORY EQUILIBRIUM
CROWNPEAK –
– LITHIUM
– REDHAT OMNIUPDATE –
– MINDTOUCH
CLICKABILITY –
– YAMMER PAPERTHIN –
MEDIAWIKI ATLASSIAN
DRUPAL
–
–
–
PLONE SOCIALTEXT TRACTION
© 2010 Real Story Group To: Collaboratown To: Nichy
www.realstorygroup.com/vendormap/
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thank you
• Vendor/product evaluations
• One-on-one analyst advice
• Analyst advisory papers
• Webinars
Download a free sample:
www.realstorygroup.com/Sample
Follow us on Twitter:
@realstorygroup
Thursday, June 17, 2010
