Oracle product to boost enterprise content

Oracle has launched its first enterprise content management (ECM) software since the company acquired Stellent last December. The product, however, is a rebranded Stellent product now named as Oracle Universal Content Management 10g Release 3.

Oracle Universal Content Management acts as an ECM platform enabling users to capture, store, manage, locate, publish and retain unstructured content such as documents, video and audio. Oracle has retained the Stellent's software ability to interact with a variety of third-party products while tightening integration with its own Oracle software.

Users now have more choice about how they store their content, according to Michelle Huff, principal product manager for Oracle Content Management, who was formerly with Stellent.

Universal Content Management has a new file store provider architecture so users can opt for a variety of storage options for their content from Oracle, BMC Software, Fujitsu and Network Appliance. At present, the Oracle 10g relational database is the only one available as an out-of-the-box option, but, depending on demand, Oracle may eventually provide the same functionality for third-party offerings, she said.

Oracle Universal Content Management also features integration with Microsoft's SharePoint web content management software. Previously, Stellent offered a SharePoint add-on for another of its products, Unified Records Management.

Oracle has worked to improve the integration between Universal Content Management and its own Oracle Portal Server and Oracle WebCenter Suite, as well as third-party portals from BEA Systems, IBM and Sun Microsystems.

The software can also convert the native format that content is stored in, from a Microsoft Word document to a PDF file, for example.

In the past, Stellent embedded an OEM version of the Verity enterprise search software in its Universal Content Management product. Then, in response to user demand, the vendor allowed companies to use Verity, now part of Autonomy, or rival technology from Fast Search & Transfer. In the new Oracle release, customers can also use Oracle Secure Enterprise Search (SES). A dedicated use licence for SES is included with Oracle Universal Content Management so content managed by the ECM software can be indexed and accessed by SES.

Oracle plans to integrate Universal Content Management with more of its software in the future, including its enterprise applications. Oracle Universal Content Management 10g Release 3 is priced from $100,000 per processor.