September 03, 2009

All-in-One Enterprise Content Management Software or Best-of-Breed Enterprise Application Integration?

Is it recommended to to have an all-in-one solution that encompasses Digital Asset Management and Web Content Management, or is it better to have two top notch systems that integrate together? We hear this question quite often during conference panel sessions and during enterprise content management strategy sessions with our clients. The short answer is...it depends! 

Do you already have a Web Content Management System or Digital Asset Management in place? If so, How much has been invested in this platform? Is this platform meeting all of your organization's current and future needs?

If you have already invested in one side of the equation (chances are you have) and the system functions well, then you should consider looking at solutions that will integrate well with what is already in place. Making sure that both systems have a fully capable API with the ability to share content and assets through Web Services is a good place to start. 

If you have neither a DAM nor a Web CMS in place or if you are looking to replace one or more of these components, then you may be best served with an all-in-one solution that handles both. The luxury of starting fresh allows you to look at digital asset management and Web content management requirements in context of each other. Taking this holistic approach will help in choosing a system that meets the needs of both without having to spend time and money on integration development or additional vendor services. 

A few additional points to consider that should help in making this decision: 

Development Application Stack:
Does your company or organization favor one technology platform over another? If your company is a pure Microsoft shop it may not make sense to look at Java-based solutions or vice versa. 

Maintenance Costs:
Maintenance costs for point upgrades and support are generally lower when purchasing multiple products from a single vendor. In a Best-of-Breed approach the company will pay maintenance to two vendors and will have two support and service contracts.

Ease of Upgrades:
A tightly integrated system should theoretically be easier to upgrade than multiple systems joined through a developed integration piece. With an all-in-one solution the company is trusting that the vendor has properly tested all components making sure that any upgrades delivered will not adversely affect the system. 

Single Point of Failure:
As Best-of-Breed content management solutions are two separate and isolated systems there is generally less risk of complete failure as the two systems are not dependent on each other. 

Single Vendor for Support and Service:
Working with a single vendor that understands the company's full content management platform rather than a single component can have its advantages. However, if the relationship with this vendor is less than desirable it can turn into a disadvantage.

One last piece of advice: Don't sell either side short. Two poor systems that are integrated well together is not better than two stand alone systems that are great at their respective purposes but are complicated to integrate. Clearly defined business and functional requirements should be evaluated against all products and should drive the decision making process. 

Posted at 05:12 pm by Ivan Mironchuk

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