Content Management Matters ™

After navigating the murky lands of translation and globalizing content, I attended a panel at Gilbane that was a detailed look at XML and its importance in content management. The overall message I left with at the end was that XML was "tremendous technology" and as one panelist put it, "the most important integration tool in software today".

Concluding a partnership that has lasted over 15 years, XyEnterprise, provider of XML-based content management systems has announced that it has brought XSystems into the fold permanently through acquisition. The acquisition will result in the creation of a new business unit focusing on editorial tools development, standards expertise and consulting services and a new set of tools for the Contenta product suite.

Ovidius GmbH, one of the leading suppliers of XML-based Content Management Systems on the European Market, recently acquired EasyBrowse EP-Service GmbH. An established developer of solutions for electronic publishing, which aims to meet the special needs of publishing houses and the publishing industry, EasyBrowse is poised to expand Ovidius' portfolio as supplier of end-to-end solutions for creating, managing and publishing technical documentation.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Working Group has published the Candidate Recommendation of “CSS Namespaces Module.” This module defines the syntax for using namespaces in CSS and may have wide spread implications in the design world.

JustSystems is continuing its growth strategy to expand across North America and Europe by designing new partnership levels designed to recruit more value-add partners to sell and integrate their software into organizations.

Their focus is to recruit experienced vendors and system integrators in the areas of structured authoring and dynamic publishing. JustSystems, as you know, is a provider of document management solutions that implement DITA. So it only makes sense they would be looking for new partnerships with companies experienced in this area.

They have defined three new partner participation levels that will enable potential partners to grow their relationship with JustSystems slowly. These include:

• Associate - initial commitment and basic support
• Authorized - More formalized and predictable sales of JustSystems products
• Premier - Designed for system integrators who want to build a solution offering around their technology

The higher up you go in the partnership levels, the more marketing, sales and technical support you get. In addition JustSystems will product discounts and sales opportunities to higher level partnerships.

If think you have what it takes to become a value-add partner for JustSystems, go to their site and read more details.

XyEnterprise, a provider of XML content management that support the OASIS DITA specification has announced the latest version of their product: Contenta for DITA v1.5.

Enhancements to this product come on the tail of the latest release of ContentaView 3.5, their suite for publishing and delivering interactive technical manuals and publications.

CMS Watch has a new report out that many organizations are sure to want to read. It's called The XML & Component Content Management Report 2008 and it's review of the leading Component Content Management vendors and XML tools on the market today. With all the conversations happening around DITA today and the number of vendors coming out with XML-based solutions, you need to understand the market well to know how to work within it.

EMC Documentum has released a couple of new products based on XML technology. The products: XML Store and Dynamic Delivery Services are expected to help XML become a driver for any type of content-rich application when integrated with the Documentum enterprise content management system.

Gartner is getting a little more hip naming their reports and JustSystems is one content management vendor benefiting from it. After all, being named a "cool vendor" can't hurt a company can it?

Looking for a content management system that enables to you author and publish DITA-based technical documentation? Take a gander over this way. Canadian vendor, IXIASOFT, have just unwrapped the latest release of their XML-based solution -- DITA CMS Framework 2.1.

Compatibility with DITA 1.1 is one of several interesting improvements bundled-up in this latest push.

Here's another must attend event if you live on the west coast -- or just feel like visiting Vancouver, British Columbia -- home of XFiles series.

For content management professionals who need to look more strategically at their content, the Content Convergence and Integration 2008 conference could be the trick.

The 3 day event March 12-14, 2008 is brought to you by the Strategy A Consulting Group.

Much like The Simpsons' Troy McClure, you may know that group called Gilbane from the myriad of conferences and fact-filled newsletters which they've so graciously provided to those of us who are content management practitioners.

Not content to bask in the glow of their triumphs, Gilbane has added yet another blog to their notable stable -- XML Technologies & Content Strategies is here to cast the light on our XML foibles.

Nstein Technologies Inc, an online publishing solutions vendor for newspapers, magazines and online content providers, has announced the creation of a formal partner program specifically designed for the system integrators and developers community.

The program will first be presented on the company's web site and formally introduced to clients at Nstein's 2008 User Conference in May.

Last week we brought you news of a webinar on DITA in the Enterprise to be chaired today by IBM and JustSystems, in which the companies' co-authored DITA Maturity Model is to be presented.

Now we can bring you details on just what the Maturity Model is all about. We're not saying you should slack off and not bother with the Webinar. We're just giving you the option, is all.

Flummoxed by the DITA revolution sweeping Enterprise CMS? Wondering what it's all about, or toying with the idea of adopting a DITA/XML architecture for your enterprise content?

If so then tune into a webinar hosted by IBM and JustSystems on February 5th, which will cover the main implementation issues involved in XML adoption, and sketch out a best-practice framework for implementing DITA in the enterprise.