Conclusion
All the solutions documented in this white paper have unique features, strengths and also weaknesses. To help companies defining a first short list, the following chart compares existing open source document management solutions along three axes.
"Application capabilities" is measuring the availability of
critical functions and features, the number of supported relevant
document types, ease of configuration and adaptation to specific needs,
the availability of workflow support and transformations as well as
interfaces and APIs.
With "Enterprise readiness" architectures and design
patterns are ranked, technologies assessed and mapped against typical
enterprise requirements. Integration is key for larger organizations;
therefore, the support of open standards and commonly-used interface
standards is key here, too. Important is also the availability of
professional release management, support and documentation.
The "community" is an important indicator for the
level of adoption and the assistance and the access to existing
experiences you get when implementing the system. It can also be
regarded as insurance for future development and support. It is
represented by the size of the bubbles below.
Depending on the situation, different solutions might be the right
choice. Often the existing platforms around the document management
solution will influence the selection of a new technology in a dominant
way. Companies with a clear Java policy will most probably go for
Alfresco or Contineo, for example.
Doing a proof-of-concept as part of the evaluation is strongly
recommended. Open source makes these additional tests easy as no
contracts and signatures are usually needed to download the software.
Maximus 2008 Reloaded 11
