Intranets--Not Dreams, But Reality Which document management Internet/intranet strategy is best for you? By Rafiq Mohammadi The MIS manager at Cushman and Wakefield, a large real estate management firm, summarized the bottom line for most companies when he said, "With worldwide sites needing to log on and access centralized information, we couldn't afford to install document management software at every site--let alone maintain it.We had to have a Java-based technology or we couldn't have implemented an enterprisewide document management system." So, why was a Java-based architecture necessary to solve his document management needs? There are five compelling reasons: * No client installation costs. Once a Web browser is installed on the client, no further setup is needed. * Secure communication between a client and the document management system (DMS) server. Documents and transactions are encrypted between the client and the server. * Low memory requirements. The Java applet is less than 200 KBs. * Low licensing costs. File server licenses are not required because the client software does not establish a session with the file server. * Low network traffic. The intelligent DMS engine processes raw data at the server and sends only the results--not the raw data--to the client software, thus reducing network traffic. All a user needs is a Java-compatible browser and limited access to the server. Once the user enters the Uniform Resource Locator (URL), the browser automatically downloads the Internet client in the form of a Java applet to the user's machine. Most document management vendors have selected to base their Internet/ intranet architecture on the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), however, after extensively researching Internet tools, NetRight Technologies came to the conclusion that the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) and HTML technologies limit the implementation of comprehensive document management functionality. Experts predict that other vendors will begin to incorporate Java technology in order to effectively deliver document management over the Internet/intranet. (For a complete report on DMS Internet implementations, contact Doculabs (Chicago). There are three main areas to investigate when selecting what DMS is best suited for your organization: * cost-effectiveness * technical superiority * user requirements and preferences Java is a cost-effective solution, as illustrated in the points above. Technical superiority and end user requirements/ preferences are illustrated in the following tables: The success of any DMS is in its ability to give users immediate access to information they want, regardless of where that information is stored. And Java is winning approval from the press, analysts and users in its ability to deliver. Rafiq Mohammadi is the CTO for NetRight Technologies (Chicago), 312-977-0664, fax 312-977-4819, E-mail sales@netright.com. NetRight's family of products allow Internet, intranet and LAN users to locate, retrieve and share information assets and intellectual property in a secure environment. NetRight's Web address is www.netright.com.
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