Get the real story via our bi-monthly newsletter

Search

    4
    0

rss

Send to a colleague

Home > Commentary > Trends Archive > The SaaS ECM dilemma

Browse TrendWatch Blog

Recent Blog Entries

The Complete Archive

Trends by Vendor


TrendWatch by Channel

Web Content Management Trends

Enterprise Portals Trends

ECM Trends

Web Analytics Trends

Enterprise Search Trends

SharePoint Trends

Digital & Media Asset Management Trends

XML & Component Content Management Trends

E-mail Archiving & Management Trends

Enterprise Social Software & Collaboration Trends


Report Excerpt

The ECM Report looks at... Xythos' Partitioning Document Content

"The unusual element of Xythos architecture comes in its use of document stores. These are database structures used to store file metadata (and the file itself, if required). Though there is nothing new or innovative in managing metadata in a database and the content itself in a separate environment, the focus on partitioning content into many small document stores and then managing these via load balancers and webservers is somewhat different as it provides a web version of the more tradition client-server structure of original document/file management systems ..."

(p. 304)

More about The ECM Report

Our customers say

"The ECM Suites Report provides invaluable insights into ECM functionality, business cases, and more. I can strongly recommend this report to any organisation planning to wade into the ever-changing world of ECM.
- - James Robertson,
Managing Director, Step Two Designs

NEW at CMS Watch

The Search and Information Access ReportThe Search & Information Access Report: This newly updated 341-page Search and Information Access Report critically evaluates 23 Search and Information Access offerings from around the globe... Read more

The Enterprise Collaboration & Community Software ReportThe Enterprise Collaboration & Community Software Report : This newly updated research critically evaluates 27 Enterprise Collaboration and Community Software products head-to-head... Read more

The Enterprise Content Management ReportThe Enterprise Content Management Report : This newly updated research critically evaluates 32 Enterprise Content Management products head-to-head... Read more

 
 

TrendWatch Blog

The SaaS ECM dilemma

15-Oct-2007   --  

At every talk or seminar I give on buying ECM technology, I stress to attendees that they have many different options -- including software as a service (SaaS). It's still early days for SaaS ECM, but the approach is now joining open source as a viable alternative to traditional software licensing models. So I have no problem telling buyers that SaaS may be worth considering, but actually going as far as recommending they pursue a SaaS option is still something of a stretch for me.

There are some very strong selling points for SaaS, including the relative ease of deployment, potentially much lower operating costs, not to mention the obvious appeal of obviating IT burdens such as patch management. Although ECM SaaS providers remain few in number, the scope of their offerings is widening. For example Xythos sells a dedicated SaaS option that seems to be building out a decent customer base for its basic but proven document collaboration services. SaaS market leader Spring CM has a quite full offering -- the equivalent of many traditional ECM vendors -- with a wide range of productized applications, ranging from mortgage processing to hospital bill reconciliation.

My reluctance to recommend SaaS outright, then, is rather that vague buyers' requirements or short-term thinking can conceal whether SaaS limitations will ultimately cancel out the obvious benefits. Let's look at two seemingly cut-and-dried examples. If you are looking for a departmental solution to deal with documents related to Real Estate Deals or Lease Management for example, a pre-configured SasS package may well make good sense. If on the other hand you are looking for a development platform that is content centric -- or to build a content layer into a Service Oriented Architecture -- then SaaS options are unlikely to fit the bill. These clearly represent two very different sets of requirements, but in fact most enterprises fall somewhere in-between: they want applications, but they want those applications to become unified at the back end.

The decision regarding SaaS can then get quite complex quite fast. To what degree to you need to integrate into legacy content stores? How much development work to you intend to undertake for ECM? If standalone applications suffice for now, with they still make sense when you have 5 or 15 of them? How would you / could you consolidate them?

The appeal of SaaS options comes in giving you 80% of what a traditional ECM vendor will provide, but at a lower upfront cost, with less hassle. But realistically SasS approaches demand that you project your requirements farther out in the future before making a snap decision that you could later come to regret. In short, I like SaaS. I think it's the right choice for many buyers, but it's not for everyone.

- Submitted by: Alan Pelz-Sharpe, Analyst - Twitter: cmswatch

All ECM Channel Trends

Join the conversation

Digg This! Search Technorati Tag it on Del.icio.us




Get a Free Sample

Wondering about CMS Watch research? Sign up to receive free samples of any of our products.




What we do

CMS Watch™ evaluates content-oriented technologies, publishing head-to-head comparative reviews of leading solutions. What makes us special?

  • Our critical analysis exposes product weaknesses as well as strengths
  • We deliver unrivaled technical depth and comprehensive project advice
  • Our research is led by international topic experts
  • We only work for buyers -- never for vendors

Contact us

CMS Watch

info@cmswatch.com

3470 Olney-Laytonsville Road Suite 131

Olney, MD USA 20832

1 800 325 6190

1 617 340 6464

UK: +44 2033181911

Fax: +1 617 340 3541