IBM`s new content management software ideal for cost-conscious SA mid-market

IBM`s new DB2 Content Manager Express solution, designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), arrives at a time when cost-conscious South African businesses are becoming aware of the very considerable savings they can achieve by managing their information and documentation more efficiently.

So says IBM SA`s data management solutions manager, Simon Jeggo. "With the benefits of automation now so clear in most areas of commercial operation, people are realising how inefficient and costly it is to try and manage documentation and digital assets, like information, manually.

"Not only does moving information around on paper slow down everything you need to do, the physical cost of storing and handling it is horrendous. So is the cost of losing it. Even worse is the cost of not being able to do something because you can`t find information.

"In fact, the problems of manually handling information are so basic and universal that the return on investment on automated, electronic content management is huge.

"And it`s the SMBs who have spotted the value of content management, because their employees usually have to wear more than one hat, and one of them is invariably managing documentation. That creates complexity and increases the risk of human error, particularly when it comes to ensuring compliance with new laws governing document retention. If you can reduce complexity and error, you can take enormous pressure off your bottom line.

"And, if you can integrate your information appropriately, then you can drive more business value you from it.

"IBM Content Manager Express is designed to help you do all that."

IBM`s new content management software can be installed with one click and provides self-managing capabilities to help organisations simplify and automate many of the tasks required to manage a content management environment.

It is tightly integrated with the rest of IBM`s software portfolio. For instance, Content Manager Express leverages the strength of the industry-leading WebSphere Application Server, and delivers broad, cross-platform server support and dramatic improvements in server performance and reliability. It also features a Java-based architecture that enables customers to leverage a common infrastructure and achieve a lower cost of ownership.

By incorporating DB2 Records Manager Version 3.1 and DB2 Content Manager CommonStore for Microsoft Exchange, SAP and Lotus Domino, the new software offers enhanced records management and e-mail archiving capabilities focused on easing the application of electronic record-keeping policies.

In addition, DB2 Content Manager CommonStore helps customers connect their messaging and groupware platforms. IBM has extended support to the large community of Microsoft Exchanges 5.5. users, increased flexibility with back-end archive customisation to enable support for SAP documents, and enhanced integration with Domino R6.

With the new DB2 Content Manager Adapter for WebSphere Business Integrator, Content Manager Express enables customers to reduce costs and enhance their competitive-edge by delivering and re-using information across multiple business processes and applications. It enables customers to capture and manage all forms of web content and deliver information on demand to customers, partners and employees.

And, with DB2 Content Manager for Linux, IBM becomes the only enterprise content management provider to support all major operating systems, including MS Windows Server 2000, RedHat, SuSe, and United Linux. So, SMBs don`t have to move onto new systems to get the most out of their information and they can much more easily share information with customers, suppliers and business partners. That lowers the total cost of ownership of an organisation`s technology.

"In effect, we`re giving customers enterprise-strength content management capabilities at an extremely aggressive price point," says Jeggo.