Documentum goes after verticals with new Web apps

Document management mindshare leader Documentum is broadening its industry-specific focus in order to help organizations speed the development and deployment of knowledge-based applications.

Documentum's new Web-centric applications platform offers a set of products to foster collaborative work and support for five business function categories: marketing and sales, quality management, research management, financial risk management and project/team management.

The platform environment consisting of a Web application server, Web clients and development and administration tools. It incorporates technology acquired last year from Relevance to simplify and stabilize the creation and deployment of knowledge-sharing applications.

The applications are scheduled to ship in Q1 '99, with the platform to follow in a few months.

Michael Fox, Nortel Networks' VP of knowledge systems, believes the new vertically-focus application set will help his company validate the knowledge its employees exchange over the Web.

"As a global organization that is applying knowledge over the Web to conduct e-business, we must have assurance that sales and marketing information for hundreds of products is current and accurate," said Fox.

By receiving personalized information based on their role, Nortel's decision-makers "can act upon trusted information and make informed choices," he said.

Monstanto KM leader Kathy Kleekamp says the applications set could create a potential for leaps in research and innovation. "Business sectors that share common interests and goals can contribute, exchange and access knowledge through a single source, creating a Web portal to global knowledge."

Industry thought leaders at the Delphi Group say that with the new application set, Documentum "is once again finding a fertile opportunity for organizations to benefit by replacing essentially manual processes with technology-enabled ones.