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April 27, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Open source content management that you can actually use (Alfresco)
LinuxWorld has a good (and flattering :-) post on Alfresco and the rise of open source Enterprise Content Management that is faster, more usable, and a heck of a lot cheaper than traditional proprietary ECM.
But ease of use should not be underestimated as a key driver in Alfresco's, and other open source applications', growth. Who cares about technology that no one knows how to use?
Terry Barbounis, CTO at the Christian Science Monitor, answers:
Content management technology, in general, has been something to be desired for sometime now, Barbounis says. “Systems are just not easy enough to use and as a consequence customers either don't use them or get little value from what they do,” he says. “ECM when properly leveraged can stretch the value of an asset to its full potential.”When I look at the success of MySQL, SugarCRM, JasperSoft, Pentaho, OpenBravo, etc., I see systems that take the complexity out of IT. When the incumbent proprietary vendors deride these systems as "lightweight," they may actually be offering them the highest compliment.Barbounis adds that ECM mitigates the risk and legal implications of misuse. “The key to an ECM platform’s success is not only that it works well from technical perspective, but that it's easy for the users to learn, use and embrace.”
Customers certainly seem to think so. Alfresco lists customers on its website that include H&R Block, Electronic Arts, McGraw-Hill, European Commission (think: European Union), MIT, Shimano, Davis Polk Wardwell LLP, KLM Airlines, Boise Cascade, American Stock Exchange, State of Nebraska, State of Louisiana, Japan Airlines, and others (as well as 240 or so that aren't listed, including three of world's largest financial services companies). Apparently, open source applications work just fine for large (and small) enterprises.
Truth in advertising: I work for Alfresco. I am glad I don't work for the proprietary competition. That would be depressing. And futile. :-)
Posted by Matt Asay on April 27, 2007 01:17 PM
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The greatest enemy to enterprise open source solutions is dilution of terminology, particularly at this stage. Sadly, many of the companies that boast being open source (or even have it as part of their name, e.g. "Groundwork Open Source") raise suspicion that leads you to double-checking on sf.net or their Web site. Don't get me started on Aras... :-)
PS: Disclosure noted, which is good for a change. There used to be a lot of self and peer promotion here, but the recent posts have been excellent.
Posted by: Roy Schestowitz at April 28, 2007 06:40 AMMatt,
"Easy" and "open" are two of my favorite words. But would an open source vendor whose business model relies on paid support make a product easy enough to rarely NEED support?
Posted by: Paul N at April 28, 2007 07:19 PMPaul brings up a good point. Easy to use is one thing. Normally, usability issues may lead to paid training services, if at-all. Its certainly a dilemma - if you make it too easy to use, no one will pay for usability training, but if you make it a kludgey interface, no one will adopt it. Alfresco is on the right track here, giving up short-term training revenue for long-term support revenue. (I don't work for Alfresco, but admit to REALLY liking their interface design ;-)
However, if you plan to use Alfresco (for example) in a production environment or for mission critical infrastructure, you would be wise to pay for support. If not, you are at the mercy of a mailing list and wiki whenever you experience a bug, issue, or compatibility problem.
Posted by: Roy Russo at April 29, 2007 10:06 AM
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