Are you Monetizing your content to its fullest potential?

If you haven't seen yet, Open Text has launched its latest integrated ECM software release #ECMSuite2010. While there are many great features added to the products and the seamless navigation between browsing records to creating new documents, process workflows on mobile devices and ultimately embrace an engaging online experience via Web and Social facets, the real story lies in the ability to elevate existing information to more eyes and minds than ever before.

When I first use this term Monetization (or even specific terms like Social Capital, Consumerization of the Enterprise or even Online Channel Optimization) I often get a frown or furrowed brow as different organizations tend to think I am not referring to their business - convinced I must be referring to the retailer who wants to sell their products over the Web. But that is not the whole story. Every organization can embrace the online world (Web, mobile, digital signage, podcasts, video, etc.) to share their stored intelligence and use the Web as a means of processing tasks, finding that important nugget of information, and engaging experts in a new medium. Unlocking the hidden potential of content (any digitized document, file, image, recordings...) for the purpose of increasing revenue and reducing costs - simple but true.

There are many interpretations of Monetization in Web 2.0 applications. One example is in government agencies for their initiative to engage constituents in e-gov or online resource sites. The critical factor in this project is to ensure that secured documents remain secured and that any new user generated content follows the same rigor to compliance and governance policies as established by the agency. This is where Open Text has a firm handhold on the importance of combining the rich experience of the online channel with the transactional and compliant content lifecycle demanded by organizations across the world.

Question to ponder: How well is your organization exposing its content to enrich the customer experience, make it easier to find what they are looking for without tripping over corporate policies and incurring overwhelming IT costs to get there?

Monetization of content is not just about adding links to documents or showing web reports of the most popular downloads. It is fundamentally about using the tools at hand to make our lives easier, learn from each other and share information in an exciting preferred way. This means embracing process valued applications like case management, social media tools like wikis and giving the end user control of their own content views via a personalized presentation portal. Together these applications can extrapolate value of content once thought lost or not important.

Remember the value of content is in the eye of the beholder - so embrace their desire to engage with you whether on your Website or mobile devices.

To read more about this topic, check out the new book by Tom Jenkins, "Managing Content in the Cloud". It has many examples of how organizations have embraced this new paradigm and taken the next step in their journey to monetize the assets they have and expand their usage of the online world in their favor.

Gearing up for Web stories

Wow, where did the summer go? After a brief hiatus, I have officially blocked time for blogging again and bringing back the focus on creative uses of the Web in corporate, government and educational environments. One of the best sources to hear from a variety of Open Text customers, across regions and industries, is at the annual Open Text Content World event. This year, it will be held in Washington D.C. in November and I am anxious to hear how many of our customers are taking the Web to the next level. I have been visiting a few customers recently and am amazed at how they are embracing the Customer Experience, placing value on the use of social tools and for some, incorporating mobility into the picture of their online strategy. All hot topics for our Content World user event.

I always get excited when I see organizations progressing along the maturity model of Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 trajectory(though the definition of Web 3.0 is still debated). Some industries have such potential to embrace the Web more for their communication medium, and other groups are pushing the envelope to truly monetize the value of their information in new ways. The online channel is not only about traditional e-commerce applications, but rather using the browser, the mobile and smart phones, even print or mashups to provide valuable and relevant content / information to those who request it in a format that they want it and listen to their feedback to make the next experience even better. The real gem lies in the ability for the organization to be nimble and take a risk - get that new Web app or next generation Web site live. The online channel is not the easiest thing to measure a true ROI, but without participating there is no hope of capitalizing on the technological advances that make harnessing the intelligence inside organizations or out in the social network of the World Wide Web a reality.

Open Text Social Media promotes engagement

In case you haven't seen, we've been busy here at Open Text taking Social Media to the next level. We like to call it "applied social media" - expanding the marketing reach to the online visitor and bringing teamwork efficiencies to life. Take a look at the buzz regarding our latest announcement of great new solutions and features to bring social communities and collaborative workspaces into the enterprise.

http://www.opentext.com/2/global/press-release-details.html?id=2371


We have also focused a few blog posts to the social topic - check out my latest post on the impact social networks can have on helping manage information overload:

http://teamopentext.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/humans-have-lost-the-battle-or-have-we/


Keep the ideas and conversations flowing - we'd love to hear from you!

It's Gotta Fit on a 1" Screen...

I am just returning from the SAP NetWeaver BI and Portals 2010 conference where I spoke on the topic of crafting an Enterprise Social Portal. It was interesting that most of the attendees in the audience were IT application developers or administrators yet very few of them were interacting with social sites today. And they were divided along generational lines when it came to mobile phone usage. One of the younger attendees said "If the entire message doesn't fit on the 1" screen of my mobile device, it gets put off until later, and sometimes later is never." This was not just about texting 140 character Tweet but also email POPed from his favorite program. Clearly, I must find the foreign language class titled "Cryptic writing" with a specialty in "Keeping the attention span of the Millenial mobile generation." When 63% of the workforce prefer a Smartphone over the Laptop, we are clearly entering a new world of communication.

On the front page of the USA Today that arrived at my doorstep was the anxiously awaited Apple iPad and on the back page a list of all of the cool new iPhone apps that will make your life easier. Some more useful than others. There were 3 main categories of apps: instant access to data, location relevant data and collaborative data. For instant access to the oracle known as Google, it is a standard practice of my 12 year old to ask for the answers to her homework - sometimes from her iPod directly. For the traveler, there were many apps for locating food and restrooms at the airports. But my favorite is the RunPee app designed to alert you when there is a lull in the movie you are watching to leave for a 2 minute bio break.

Across all of the mobile and social applications getting built today, I am quite impressed by the attention to detail and focus on the simplicity. It is nice to see the knowledge sharing and willingness of the general public to participate in the goodwill of the community. Over the next few years, we will see more of this innovation blossoming inside organizations and changing the culture of the enterprise. I can't wait!

Open Text WCM leadership continues

On one hand it is great to see social networking in full force with the number of pings I received to read Markus Giesen's post about the Open Text WCM portfolio - which has many great points to reiterate and a few to correct. (ps. while it pains me to use the term "RedDot" as it has been renamed, it is how many of our customers/partner still refer to it)

RedDot is Alive and Expanding

To reiterate a comment from Markus -'RedDot CMS is alive." But to respectively correct Markus, it is not just RedDot CMS but also the RedDot LiveServer that is getting continued investment and a life much longer than just a couple of years. What many are referring to as loss of momentum is in truth the maturing of these products into a product lifecycle that many of our customers have asked for - fewer releases (we have one major release every 12-18 months with Service Packs every 6 months) which allows them to budget and plan appropriately and still stay current on ever advancing technology. Check out the new features for RedDot coming out this summer in the latest roadmap - really nice!

Open Text WCM Leads the Pack

It is not just marketing-speak. After the acquisition of Vignette, Open Text communicated a dedication of significant resources to both Vignette and RedDot. Open Text is now the largest WCM vendor in the space (according to market share of certain industry analyst data). Open Text can meet the full spectrum of WCM business needs; from an easy-to-use, fast-to-deploy web publishing application, to a fully integrated, enterprise-class platform for large-scale deployments. And to agree with Markus again, RedDot CMS is STILL a leader in the ECM Market.

With Open Text's defined ECM strategy, Vignette joins these ranks and the proof is in the launch of the latest major releases of Vignette Portal 8 and Vignette Content Management 8. Engineering is actively working on new releases this month and another in the summer. Momentum is picking up, so watch for great things in the Enterprise 2.0 area.

Sound WCM Strategy

As I mentioned in my post about the exciting new Open Text WCM plans from September 2009, we are adding incremental functionality to both RedDot (CMS and LiveServer) and Vignette Content Management, Portal and Social Media products (and their adjacent modules). Open Text is also continuing investment in the Document and Records products from Vignette, but that is for another post.

Our strategy to offer legacy WCM customers an upgrade to the most appropriate current offering is still intact. We confirmed at Open Text Content World 2009 that our strategy for maintaining both Vignette and RedDot product lines is best for our customers. I agree with Markus' comment that Vignette cannot replace RedDot - they each address WCM from a different perspective. We are not forcing customers to migrate and are listening to them for future direction requests. However, we also confirmed that some customers did want to take advantage of the other product and make the switch - their choice which we were happy to support.

Next Generation WCM progress

We encourage a strong partner channel and the additional plug-ins and customizations that make each customer website unique. Many of these customizations become core product features over time - a natural evolution in a mature product lifecycle. We have also made great progress incorporating some of the Vignette shared services into the RedDot line as well as the broader Open Text services into the Vignette products. This is the advantage of a strong portfolio from Open Text, great engineering resources and technologies that fit well together.

Customer AND Partners - We CARE!

There are a number of misconceptions lingering out there that I hope are addressed here. If I missed one or two, you can always catch the next Open Text Content World 365 WCM Roadmap Update held every other month for more details. We cover current roadmaps, strategy updates and give you an open forum to ask questions and get answers. Check out the Newsletters and Community on Knowledge Center for additional communications. Don't forget to sign up for the RSS feeds to stay up to date on the latest information.

Achieving the Smart Enterprise

To quote Hannibal from the A-Team: I love it when a plan comes together

I talk to a lot of organizations. Some understand the power of the Web and use it in unique and exciting ways. Other, just don't think it applies to them. I am waiting for the second group to get that "Ah-Ha" moment when they see the Web as more than just a search site for information tid-bits and really a part of their business strategy. I am surprised it still hasn't happened yet, but it WILL come.

QAD is one of those traditional manufacturing oriented companies who really Get the Web. Their plan has come together nicely and is a critical success of their business strategy. They have delivered a proposal generator that allows sales/partners to quickly pick the products they need information for and generate a PDF right from the Web app. AND the information on the Web site is in sync with the proposal - because it a smart enterprise - they reuse the content that gets published to the Web site dynamically within their proposal generator. Some apps are even available via Mobile device - Fantastic!!!



















And even better, they have a integrated single resource of technology capabilities that allows them to create new Web applications for all audiences. It's like opening the pantry, choosing the ingredients for a fabulous gourmet meal and also being able to use those same ingredients for a quick lunch. Their pantry has items like image handling, personalization, team spaces and social chats that allow them to stay ahead of the market.

QAD also knows the power of internal collaboration, knowledge sharing and team project planning. They have embraced Social Media both on their www site as well as internally. Right on their www page they ask you to Call/Email/Chat with experts. Nice use of social communication and video.






Way to go QAD!






For more details on what QAD is doing, check out the Success Story and Podcast:

Short Podcast:
http://podcast.opentext.com/public/channel/rss/ot-ecm-news/item/12-QAD-podcastFULL-v1.0.mp3

Read their story:
http://www.opentext.com/2/sso_download_open?docpath=/corporate/customer/casestudy/qad-1209-en.pdf&x=undefined