Jeff Jinnett: Open Text Content Day in New York City

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On April 21, 2010, I participated as a speaker at the Open Text Content Day, which was held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City (i).  Open Text is one of Microsoft’s strategic partners in the enterprise content management space(ii). Speakers from Open Text at the Content Day included Richard Sheroff, Vice President (Eastern U.S.), James Latham, Chief Marketing Officer, Eugene Roman, Chief Technology Officer, Lubor Ptacek, Vice President, Product Marketing and Peter Near, Senior Director, Product Management(iii).  My presentation was entitled “Open Text and Microsoft: Working Together to Keep You Out of the ‘Hurt Locker’” and focused on the potential IT impact of recently enacted and newly proposed U.S. federal and state laws and regulations. 

The “Trends and Opportunities” presentation by James Latham set up a vision of the future that laid the framework for the day’s presentations. The Open Text Chief Marketing Officer sees a mobile, “mashed up” and multicultural future where:

  • social media (e.g., Facebook and vmails) will overtake traditional media (e.g., newspapers and emails) in connection with storage requirements
  • users will decrease use of text keyboard entry in favor of multimedia touch entry
  • customers will increasingly use mobile access rather than desktop access
  • content will be accessed in an “immersive” technology experience rather than through a traditional file hierarchy
  • search on the Internet will be more intuitive and accurate in order to retain users; and
  • customers will increasingly require ready access to influential content, rather than merely relevant content

Eugene Roman, Open Text’s Chief Technology Officer, highlighted in his presentation the technology impact of these trends and the increasing importance of the “cloud” for housing, managing and distributing all types of content from traditional to multimedia, for access at home, at work or on the go. He also noted the increasing importance of regulatory compliance, privacy and security issues for cloud offerings as a prerequisite for ensuring customer confidence. Reiterating the theme of an increased need by customers for valuable and influential content, he explored the possibilities for using technology to deliver industry-specific ECM solutions.  Closing out the morning of presentations was a panel discussion and audience Q&A that included all of the Open Text keynote speakers, together with John Shackleton, President and CEO of Open Text.  After the morning of presentations and the Open Text panel discussion, the afternoon of breakout sessions included some very valuable presentations by Open Text and Microsoft customers, such as Aramark, Johnson & Johnson and Becton, Dickinson and Company.

The annual Open Text Content World is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. from November 7-12, 2010(iv). As a speaker and attendee at last year’s Content World, I can recommend the event without reservation for Microsoft and Open Text customers and for companies seeking information on the design and implementation of a forward-looking approach to enterprise content management.  In light of the many significant bills under consideration in Congress that are likely to have become law by next November, the selection of Washington, D.C. as the venue for the next Open Text Content World appears to be a smart choice.
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(i)See https://www.opentext.com/2/global/events-contentdays-newyork.

(ii)See https://www.microsoft.com/business/enterprise/alliancepartner/opentext.mspx

(iii)For the slide decks of the various presentations, see https://communities.opentext.com/communities/llisapi.dll/open/NYContentDays2010

(iv)For registration information on Open Text Content World 2010, go to https://opentext.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=2492a69e-634a-4a92-a2a2-f10cd9d8422f&source=CW2010home2.