EMC World – Day 3 – IIG Client/UI Framework Strategy and Roadmap – Jeetu Patel and Rohit Ghai

Attended Jeetu and Rohit presentation this morning.  This post will discuss TSG’s thoughts around the roadmap.

Overall

Some interesting tidbits around licensing that were buried in multiple presentations worth sharing up front:

• iPad application will be free and offered as Open Source.  While this might seem somewhat small, existing users, especially recently audited Documentum users, have been worried that every new product from Documentum would require a new license.  The announcement that the iPad application, available in July, will be free AND Open Source is a substantial change from previous applications.
• Webtop will be around for years.  4 years was quoted as well as support for other.  Again – different from last year where the “not invest in Webtop anymore(add link)” was of concern.
• Webtop and other licenses will be transferable to the Centerstage as well as the unified interface (coming with D7).

The reason for emphasizing these points are that licensing, while not really discussed during EMC World is a major concern for many clients.  The free new application along with support and transfer of licensing shows that EMC IIG has been listening to these concerns.  One other note – saw and old friend Cathy Herbert – celebrating her 18^th year with Documentum.  Quite the accomplishment!!!!

Okay – on with the post.

Continued Focus on New User (Jeetu)

Jeetu began again building on his keynote from Day 2  in regards to talking about solutions for the new user, one that is more mobile and creating more social content.  Focus was on user experience and data/documents that need to be accessible from a variety of devices (iPad, phone and PC seem to be the dominate theme).  Jeetu felt a strategic area of investment for IIG is the UI.

Jeetu made a good point about growth of content coming from the video and social side (not as much on the document side).  From there, Jeetu really focuses on pushing the strategy for any type of a paradigm shift for the next user interfaces – everything from electronic pens to minority report gestures.  While strategy interesting, might be a little too high level for some of the audience looking for more roadmap.  Specific Priorities for UI

• Optimize User Experience – Unification, Usability and Performance
• Enable Choice Computing – Mobile, Partner Strategy
• Enable Agility and reuse – Open UI Framework, Unified Application Builder

Jeetu concluded by stating that IIG is investing more in UI today’s then ever invested in the past.

Optimizing the User Experience (Rohit)

Unification/Integration Strategy

1. Prioritize unification by persona and product franchise
2. Implement integration strategy across franchises as appropriate
3. Converge to common technology framework over time
4. Current UIs continue to be supported
5. Migration timeline to new clients depends on use-cases

Continued best news for current clients is point 4.  This is a very different message from last year.  IIG/Documentum has clearly heard the customer feedback that pushing out new products while abandoning existing ones (read that as Webtop from last year) was received very badly from clients.

Documentum UI Unification

• User Interface (Webtop, Taskspace, DAM/Media Workspace, eRoom/CenterStage, MyDocumentum Suite) will move to unification to more of a Unified Web Client, Mobile Client(s), Integrated Documentum Client.  Targeted to delighting the user
• Composite Application Layer – xCP (Process Builder, Formsbuilder, Taskspace, Composer, Reports builder) – moving to an integrated application builder.  Targeted to delighting the developer.
• Information Services – move to Spring – VM Ware tooling – all things that tie into cloud architecture.  (Cloud Architect?)

Captiva/Capture User Interface

Some discussion around “Capture” focused on Web Capture with Captiva and xCP.  Captiva hasn’t really benefited from an integration framework that shares in consistency with other IIG user interfaces.  Captiva has it’s own interface which makes sense given that it is still used for non-Documentum backend (read that as FileNet or others).  Wondering how Captiva evolves in regards to “Capture for Sharepoint” and other backends.  Most integration around Captiva has been of the “export it when done” rather than replacing the User Interface.

Rohit is correct in the typical Capture user is very heads down and not one of the “new users”.  Not quite sure clients are asking for a new Captiva interface – Captiva has had a small web based scanning piece but not sure if need to tie to such a high-end solution when Twain driven solutions, (like our OpenCapture – formally OpenScan) are pretty simple and affordable.

In discussion with other attendees after the presentation, we both wondered about the pricing impacts in that Captiva commands a high-end price and some web-based scanning (one-off) is typically a low budget application.

Enabling Choice Computing

Mobile Client – iPad native Client by Documentum Q3 2011 – heard July in another presentation.  (we saw the flashing demo in the key note – needs a name).  Focused on casual consumption and light collaboration use-cases.  No cost to existing licensed users of Documentum Clients.  Will extend support to other tablets and smartphones in 3 to 6 month release cycles.  Intent to share source (Open Source) as reference to enable partner and developer community.

Presented a grid

• Partners – Box for Collaboration, Cisco for Social
• Centerstage – Collaboration
• Webtop, Media Workspace on WDK – Advanced Content Management
• Takspace/xCelerators on WDK  – Dynamic Case Management

Still pushing that IIG can help with the UI builder.  Will talk more in the summary but slightly concerned about IIG’s ability to deliver what developers want while conflicted from selling applications that are “more configuration, less code”.  Would predict that the Common UI/Framework Builder will be the most difficult effort of the stack.

• Configurable Web Client – Replaces Centerstage and Webtop
• xCelerators – Replaces TaskSpace

Both to be delivered on Common UI Framework/Builder

• Mobile Client
• Composed Mobile Client

Common UI Platform

• Common UI Technology Framework will be based on ext-JS
• Integrated Visual App Builder will make it easy to build composite role based solutions.
• Business logic encapsulated at services or process level
• All built on recently begun RESTful Services layer

As pointed out in a previous post (add link), the REST services layer was really thought out about 4 weeks ago so most of the strategy is fairly new.

Family UI Direction

2011

• Centerstage 1.2 – Now
• Mobile Client Phase 1 – 2^nd Half 2011 (July)
• Componentization and UI Widgets –
• Captiva Web Client – 2^nd Half 2011

2012

• Unified Web Client version 1 (2^nd Half 2012)
• Mobile Client Phase 2
• xCP Visual Application Builder
• UI Framework
• Case and Content Widget Library
• Captiva next (in planning – 2^nd Half 2012

2013

• Unified Web Client version 2
• Mobile Composer/Builder
• xCP Visual Builder (Content)