Manage Web Content Without IT Involvement

WCM (Web content management) technology enables content-centric applications and the administration of multiple sites through one framework.

Integrated Solutions, September 2006

Written by: Laurie Pasquerell

The Web has gone through an evolution during the last 10 years. Initially, the general population was uncertain about what it could provide. Many people were reluctant to trust the data found there and were fearful due to questions of security. Therefore, information on the Web was sparse in comparison to what exists today, particularly the information exhibited by businesses. Moreover, at first, many businesses lacked the expertise and budget to populate their sites. After the Web was more widely accepted, some businesses found maintenance to be inefficient and expensive. As a result, instead of increasing the amount of information displayed there, many companies focused on reducing maintenance costs.

Today, businesses realize that luring potential customers to their Web sites can either boost or hinder profits, depending on the information found there. Displaying the appropriate messages and content on Web sites is critical to the reputation and welfare of companies. The focus on minimizing costs hasn't disappeared, but after years of reliance on IT for content changes, companies have drifted toward enabling other employees, such as marketing or business gurus, to maintain the content on their Web sites (both internal and external).

EMPOWER BUSINESS EMPLOYEES TO MAINTAIN SITE CONTENT

The paradigm shift in Web maintenance has sparked new interest in WCM. "Most inefficiencies of corporate Web site maintenance stem from the backlog of Web content changes that IT departments continually accrue," says Ari Kahn, cofounder and CTO at FatWire Software, an organization that offers content-centric Web applications to all business verticals. "Furthermore, the costs associated with IT personnel assembling site modifications, while being taken away from other critical projects, cause companies to focus on the bottom line. Finally, businesses are realizing that the Web is not just a communication vehicle, but also a revenue maker. Companies need to add more personalization to their sites. A Web site should present relevant information and then guide visitors to a decision point -- whether it's making a purchase or requesting additional information."

Authorizing your user community to post content to your site is the most manageable way to ensure your site drives revenue, displays current and relevant information, increases the timeliness of updates, and allows IT to focus on higher priority projects. Content management vendors facilitate business involvement in Web update maintenance with user-friendly interfaces, templates, and permission-controlled access. This approach to Web maintenance is gaining popularity and provides several advantages.

One advantage is increased accuracy, because users not only control the display of content, but they developed it. So, they are more likely than an IT employee to immediately recognize a data problem. Additionally, the interactive and social aspects of Web sites entice visitors, so employees dedicated to developing clever materials to attract potential customers to your product/service should be granted access to make updates. "Audience experts in your company who understand technology have the skill set to perform this function," states Michelle Huff, senior product marketing manager at Stellent, Inc., a provider of content management software solutions. "Making modifications to the site directly empowers the user community. The Web isn't a foreign place, and who better to display content than the employees who create the media or perform a business function?"

Another advantage is that the user community can manage the tools that track the frequency with which content is accessed. "If the tracked data indicates that no one viewed newly launched content, and the users decide that the placement of that content needs to be changed, they can modify the positioning themselves," says Huff, Web content management product manager at Stellent. "This beats waiting on IT for the traffic statistics and the changes to the site. The business people are more likely to act with immediacy because of their vested interest in the content."

CONTENT-CENTRIC APPLICATIONS ENABLE CONTINUAL ACCESS

Web applications that perform specific functions for a business vertical and repositories that contain information explicit to that vertical are also entering the Web market. Some of these applications are combinations of ECM (enterprise content management) solutions and WCM solutions. These applications span the external and internal business worlds, depending upon the access granted. "For example, because of HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] regulations, restrictions exist on how healthcare can be marketed," says Kahn. "Doctors at a healthcare facility might use a Web application or repository to refer patients to hospitals or to complete research. Regulations can be built into the system so that doctors refer patients to hospitals that accept the patient's insurance."

"More employees rely on the Web 24/7 -- for personal and business use -- than ever before," says Bruce Milne, VP and general manager of industry solutions at Vignette Corp., a content management and Web portal software provider. "It's no longer an acceptable practice to batch back end systems and feed the Web content only once per day with that data. 24/7 information access is necessary for immediate and responsive information flow, which forces the integration of Web applications to back end applications in a real-time mode. Additionally, a larger percentage of the workforce is outfitted with PDAs. The mere existence of these kinds of devices emphasizes the need for 24/7 access."

Additionally, the removal of outdated documents is critical for content-centric applications like those used in healthcare, government facilities, airlines, financial services providers, travel and leisure companies, and corporations subject to SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002) compliance. "If employees at a pharmaceutical company need to gather documents for a trial, they need to be able to prove what information was displayed on their Web sites and when it occurred," says Huff. "Records and retention management is an important part of Web maintenance, so oftentimes this functionality is built into site management tools."

MANAGE DIFFERENT FILE FORMATS, MULTIPLE SITES

Several companies now seek WCM solutions that can be used for all of their sites, such as a public Internet site, an internal intranet site, and an extranet site for suppliers. However, companies have the desire to handle that administration of these sites through one front end application ensuring common workflow for maintenance and cohesive branding. This is possible through some WCM solutions. Some providers of these solutions believe that using a single repository for all data (no matter what site it's displayed through) provides the most efficiency. Others believe that indexing information from several repositories for quick display is the most resourceful.

"For a long time, research showed that branding was a requirement for external sites, while internal sites were focused on document management," says Huff. "We've argued that internal and external sites can be managed through one product. In fact, we've used the same product for both types of site for years now. Internal sites should be branded just like external sites. Otherwise, users may get frustrated and may stop accessing the site if it's found to be cumbersome." Typically, customers handling high volumes of content are those seeking one system to oversee several types of Web servers. "Systems offering executive dashboards that capture workflow information and are fed via customized templates usually deliver the most value for employees. Real-time information from production systems or Web usage logs is becoming essential for insight into how the business is operating, regardless of the size of the company or the repository behind the data," states Milne.

Not only internal and external sites need to be managed under one umbrella now. Some companies maintain several servers with different digitized types of data and provide access to these files via the Web. Merging technologies, such as IP (Internet Protocol)-based PDAs, wireless telephones, and iPods providing access to the Web, are forcing companies to provide data formats of all types. "For example, servers containing music in MP3 format, video for cell phone and PDA downloads, photo images, ring tones for cell phones, and a basic content management server containing product and service data for cell phone service providers or phone resellers can all now be managed by a single WCM system, which acts as a delivery framework," says Milne.

WCM solutions are being used everywhere -- including some places you may never think of. "A cable company that provides digital access to its customers uses a WCM to maintain its programming guides," states Milne. "Organizations like the IOC [International Olympic Committee] use WCM to manage real-time data and coverage from events, such as the Olympics, simultaneously in three languages. A network that provides in-car assistance to customers through satellite uses a collaborative WCM application to share information with emergency personnel about its customers. In some cases, there is no practical way to have one database anymore. These solutions are bringing a whole new meaning to customer relationship management. If customers order a new custom-made automobile online or through a dealership, they can watch it being built from another geographic location via streaming data and a WCM solution. Additionally, that dealer can notify the customer when it's time to service that vehicle and strategically offer new services, and products -- and eventually another vehicle -- using the same system."

If you have several repositories or only one, make sure security is built in, so you have the ability to monitor who checks documents out, who modifies them, and who checks them back in. This tracking is a requirement for auditing purposes and to ensure control of your site. Additionally, for flexibility, make sure the WCM solution you use is universal and customizable to fit your ever-changing business needs.

Link to article: http://www.integratedsolutionsmag.com/index.php?option=com_jambozine&layout=article&view=page&aid=5311&Itemid=56