ACOM Supports Firefox with Content Manager

July 17, 2007 Alex Woodie

System i shops that prefer Mozilla‘s Firefox to Microsoft‘s Internet Explorer Web browser will rejoice at the latest news from ACOM Solutions, which recently started shipping a new release of EZContent Manager that supports Firefox. Version 3.1.1 also includes improvements in the area of encryption, document retention, and electronic shredding.

ACOM launched EZContent Manager in early 2006 to fill a void for what the company viewed as a lack of low-cost (starting at $10,000) and easy-to-use content management systems for iSeries and System i shops. “Why buy the Rolls-Royce when the Hyundai will do?” said Gregory Church, ACOM’s vice president of communications, when the product was introduced.

EZContent Manager serves as a central repository for documents originating from a variety of platforms. While it runs on Microsoft’s Windows operating system and SQL Server database, the software holds a special affinity for output from i5/OS servers via integration with ACOM’s popular EZeDocs/400 document management and output management software. Documents from the i5/OS server are converted and stored as PDFs, while documents from Windows servers are stored in their native format. Users interact with the software from Web browsers or from the Windows Explorer shell.

In late June, ACOM announced EZContentManager version 3.1.1. One of the key features delivered with this release includes support for the Firefox Web browser, which has made significant inroads against the incumbent Microsoft IE browser in recent years. When EZContentManager was introduced, IE was used by about 86 percent of users, compared to less than 10 percent for Firefox, according to Net Applications, which tracks Web browser usage. Since then, IE’s share has dropped to about 78.5 percent, while Firefox’s has risen to about 14.5 percent.

Other new features delivered with this release include support for 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) on files imported into EZContentManager, which will ensure that files on the hard disk can only be accessed via the repository. Security was also boosted when ACOM made HTTP/S the default batch file transfer protocol.

Users also gain more flexible means to import, retain, and dispose of files. When files are imported with this release, dynamic subfolders or targets can be created based on indexed fields. This release also allows users to set different retention policies at the folder level or at the file level. New electronic file shredding capabilities have also been added, with three shred levels, ACOM says, (undoubtedly, “slicing, dicing, and Julienne fries” shred levels).

The democratization of advanced content management capabilities continues with EZContentManager version 3.1.1, according to James Scott, a senior vice president at the Long Beach, California, company. “Affordable technology to capture, consolidate, and centrally manage corporate documents regardless of origin or document type offers mid size enterprises advantages that until recently were available only to large, rich organizations,” he says.

“Familiar procedures such as browser operation and standardized search techniques not only keep costs low, but also minimize training time and expense while maximizing employee acceptance and use. EZContentManager was designed to offer the most functionality and ease of use for the technology dollar,” he says.

EZContentManager version 3.1.1 is available now. For more information, visit www.acom.com.