Oracle's Tsunami hits the shore, but is it making waves? Today they have announced the launch of their new Enterprise Content Management (ECM) technology, Oracle(R) Files 10g. Built on the Oracle Database and Oracle Application Server, Oracle Files 10g is an evolution of an existing product touting new tools, integration capabilities and application programming interfaces."Content management is no longer just about specialized vertical applications. Content management is here for the whole enterprise—the rest of us—and it's here in Oracle Collaboration Suite, and specifically, in Oracle Files 10g Release 1," says Rich Buchheim, senior director, product management and content management strategy, Oracle Corporation.At Oracle Open World Buchheim demo'ed the different ways to utilize Oracle Files. These included the Oracle Content Manager interface, a mounted folder appearing with other folders in the file system, and as an Oracle Files portlet in the Oracle Portal Server. Unlike traditional content management solutions, originally developed to support content specialists in highly regulated document production processes, Oracle Files 10g, available on its own or as part of Oracle Collaboration Suite, was created with the broader business user population in mind.The new release combines familiar file management and sharing capabilities with powerful new policy-based document management functionality such as fine-grained security, automatic versioning, enforced attribution and event-driven workflows.Oracle Files 10g facilitates regulatory compliance with advanced records management functionality.Oracle Files 10g's file-plan creation and management processes, as well as its document retention and disposition management capabilities, facilitate compliance with federal, local and industry-specific regulations.Oracle's consolidated database-centric approach also helps reduce risks that result from proliferation of poorly managed content."Regulatory compliance is forcing companies to re-evaluate how they decide what content falls under formal management processes, and unstructured data is looming large in those decisions," said Greg Doherty, vice president, Oracle Collaboration Suite, Oracle Corp."Oracle Files 10g can help eliminate uncertainty around unstructured data by enabling customers to better manage it. This allows customers to give users improved access to information and helps them maximize compliance-related IT investments."With Oracle Files 10g, Oracle has taken a clear focus on departmental CMS implemenations. As Oracle's Buchheim pointed out to briefing session attendees yesterday, the high costs of specialized and department-specific content management are becoming prohibitive. Organizations are now looking towards enterprise-wide practices for both content management and compliance.Tsunami/Oracle Files 10g is expected to be released in early 2005, so stay tuned as your faithful CMS scavengers dig up more details.
