Enterprise connectivity

Most organizations deploy a search engine, a BPM solution, a collaboration framework and many other business applications. The applications create, store and use documents in various content silos.
The connectivity overview is complex, with a criss-crossing of information routes that brings to mind a spaghetti plate. This spaghetti plate includes connections between heterogeneous technologies. Specific developments rigidify the information system and limit the system's evolution capacity.

Managing connectivity issues is therefore becoming a top priority for IT departments. Progressively replacing the complicated criss-crossing routes by out-of-the-box connectivity shared in a content hub is a possible answer.
This is as easy as connecting your laptop to a network hub. Applications and content silos are thus plugged easily in the content hub. Connecting a business application to one or many content silos then becomes easier to do.

 


Enterprise connectivity

All products and applications need to work with documents. The documents are stored in various content silos. This implies that large organization have to manage complex and risky integration projects.  

The integration projects are usually based on specific developments that enable the access to content repositories. The number of end-points is usually high, making the connectivity overview look like a criss-crossing of information routes. As end-points change, new specific developments are constantly needed. The cost of the specific developments is important and recurring.

On one hand, the pace of new deployments or replacements of content silos  is increasing. Legacy systems have to be replaced. Software companies extend the reach of their solutions by adding new content management features. Moreover, new business models such as Software as a Service are now part of the big picture. The exponential rise of unstructured data means increasing content fragmentation for all companies.

On the other hand, search products, BPM solutions or any other vertical applications have to work with unstructured data. Increasingly,  applications need to interact with many content silos. Mergers and acquisitions often involve interacting with two or more crucial repositories as quickly as possible.

Integration projects are becoming critical projects. EntropySoft recommends using a server as a middle point. This server takes care of the connectivity to all content silos. All applications work with a common, stable API. Applications can also rely on transversal features such as federated search programming or easy transfers.

A content hub works along the same lines as a network hub by offering an easy access to all the company’s document resources. Part of the overall improvements is the new flexibility to replace easily any of the content silos. It simplifies the consolidation of scattered information. IT departments can put in action strategies to reorganize the deployed content silos. This architecture is also a key asset for any organization-wide initiatives like eDiscovery or Federated Records Management.

The adoption of content hub technology is smooth and progressive. As soon as two applications need to communicate, there are strong benefits that justify the deployment of this architecture. A content hub is a “must-have” option for easy and reliable content integration.