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Producer:
Stellent
Inc.
Modules: Stellent Imane/Document
Managment, Stellent Business Process Managment, Stellent Records
Managment
Stellent IBPM integrates with: FormAnalyzer.
The Stellent IBPM (Imaging and Business Process
Management) system helps companies manage their business content
over the course of its life — from creation through archive. Stellent enables organizations to extend, leverage, and integrate
critical business applications such as enterprise resource planning
(ERP) and line-of-business (LOB) systems, allowing increased
effectiveness of strategic infrastructure investments while reducing
costs, improving process efficiency, and enhancing customer and
vendor satisfaction.
The Stellent Imaging and Business Process
Management system comprises three integrated subsystems, which work
together to capture, store, manage and process business documents
and information:
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Stellent
Image Management –
electronic document
archive;
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Stellent
Business Process Management – workflow;
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Stellent
Records Management – management of
record conformant with legal requirements.
Each
of above subsystems can work standalone or can be integrated with
third-party solutions.
The Stellent IBPM solution is built upon a
powerful, three tiers. The solution is designed and implemented
using a component-based model and supporting industry standards.
Construction of the intermediate system modules (called services) is
such, that it is possible to run multiple instances of the same
services in one system. This allows to flexibly solve scale problems
(data size and number of users), fault tolerance, adapting system’s
implementation to organization structures and needs, extension of
the system with the growing needs.
Architecture of the Stellent IBPM system is shown
in the diagram below.
SEQ Diagram. Three-tier architecture of the Stellent IBPM
system.
For the end user, IBPM offers user-friendly,
graphical environment and basic document processing functions such
as searching, viewing, annotating or integration with office
software. From the point of view of the management when planning the
implementation of electronic archive and document workflow
architectural solutions are more important. This is also because
they influence deployment costs and extension costs in the future,
flexibility in adapting to changing structures and needs,
efficiency, data security, scalability, fault tolerance and
integration costs with existing systems. In the following chapters
you can find description of IBPM system first and foremost
concentrated on internal organization of the system and standard
used in implementation.
Stellent IBPM is designed to work under Microsoft
Windows systems (both server and clients). There is a Web user
interface available working with Microsoft Internet Explorer
browser. The system supports Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle
database servers.
Stellent Image Management plays a role of a
repository (archive) of documents. Stellent Image Management allows
all users — internal or remote — to capture, store, manage, search
and display documents with associated data. As a document source,
system accepts paper, fax, e-mail, HTML/XML, documents created by
third-party systems (Word, Excel, PDF, etc.) or third-party ERP and
CRM systems (Enterprice Resource Planing, Customer Relationship
Management). The Stellent system also understands reports
generated by other IT systems (COLD technology). The users need not
be concerned about the format or source of transactional documents.
From their desktops, they can directly access all of the information
using Stellent Image Management.
Documents are grouped into logical archives
described by custom metadata. It is possible to create any documents
hierarchy. Data storage can be organized into automatically managed
groups of physical medias (Stellent supports magnetic, optical, tape
and CD discs).
Stellent Image/Document Management can work as a
document archive for Stellent Business Process Management subsystem,
or similar third-party systems.
Stellent BPM allows implementing business
processes with simple graphical techniques that allow the product to
be customized to fit any processing environment, without any
development. Stellent BPM enhances overall connectivity of business
processes, breaking down organizational, technological and
geographical barriers. Process members (both inside and outside
companies), can initiate new tasks, trace their status, add or
modify tasks’ data, according to their privileges. Tasks are
automatically passed between process members, according to process
definition (an example of process definition is shown in the diagram
below).
Diagram 1. Example
of Business Process Definition.
1.3
Stellent Fixed Record
Management
Stellent’s DoD 5015.2-certified records
management technology for Imaging and BPM is designed to help
managers and employees identify, classify, track and manage all
forms of information from inception through the end of the content
lifecycle. Whether the record is in the form of a physical document,
an email with attachments or an electronic document, the technology
is able to manage all types of corporate records. Users can
establish retention periods, organize and retain these documents and
other assets for required period of time, and provide quick access
to them on demand.
With Stellent, administrators can establish a
file plan for the organization of files, folders and documents, then
create retention schedules that govern how the multiple
classifications of documents are to be stored. To ensure a
successful rollout of the solution, end-users can utilize the Web, a
Windows desktop client or third-party applications to designate any
type of content as a record, from any location.
Possibility to
extend existing system and necessity to assure high system
reliability are the main features making Stellent IBPM a very
attractive solution. Modular architecture of the system is the main
factor addressing both problems.
A radical change in
access points to the archive, creation of the new archives or
deployment of the business process management in new enterprise
departments can lead to the situation in which existing system
becomes ineffective. In Stellent IBPM, necessary in such cases
system rebuilding, is limited in most cases to the deployment of
additional services. Stellent IBPM services which decide about the
system efficiency can be replicated up to 36 instances in one system
domain. Inserting new service into the system’s topology is
automatic, and does not need system or currently operating modules
reconfiguration.
The problem of system reliability (fault
tolerance) has been solved in a similar way – using modular system
construction. The operation of Stellent IBPM services is monitored
on-line by the Request Broker, which in case of fault detection of
any of the system services, can automatically remove service from
domain and redirect client requests to still working services. This
mechanism can be leveraged by physical replication of critical
system resources. Integrity of the system data and backup copies is
ensured on-line with the use of Double Take software. Also in this
case fault is detected automatically, and functions of the damaged
computer are taken over by its double.
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