Upgrade Your I/PM 10g or Earlier Solution to WebCenter Imaging 11g

If you have Optika/Stellent/Oracle Imaging and Process Management (I/PM) solutions you should look to enhance and expand your I/PM document management solutions by moving towards the Oracle WebCenter user engagement platform.

WebCenter helps people work together more efficiently.  It provides contextual collaboration tools that optimize connections between people, information, and applications.  These tools help users have access to the right information in the context of the business process in which they are engaged.  WebCenter Content provides a unified repository for unstructured content, and the tools to deliver unstructured content to business users in the proper format and in the context of the applications users use every day to perform their daily tasks.

WebCenter Capture and Imaging are features of WebCenter Content that provide the functionality of the familiar Oracle Document Capture (ODC) and Oracle I/PM products within the framework of WebCenter Content.  Capture and Imaging enable Optika/Stellent/Oracle ODC and I/PM customers the ability to upgrade their existing solutions and embrace the WebCenter Content framework.  This will position their solutions to be expanded, enhanced, and complimented by other WebCenter Content features.  This will also position the Capture and Imaging solutions to become integral components in the full WebCenter engagement platform experience.

The first step in your move to WebCenter is to upgrade your existing I/PM solution to WebCenter Imaging 11g.   Along with your upgrade of I/PM, you will also need to upgrade your current ODC solution to the latest version of ODC.  The upgrade will also involve a migration of your existing I/PM documents and metadata to the 11g Imaging repository.  Oracle provides a nice migration tool to assist with this.

This upgrade to WebCenter Imaging 11g provides the following features that will position you nicely to embrace the full range of WebCenter functionality and benefits:

  • You will be utilizing Content Server as the repository for your documents.  This is the common Oracle repository for all enterprise content going forward.
  • Your Imaging application will be based on WebLogic and Fusion Middleware.  These are the unified platforms for all WebCenter applications, enabling you to leverage the unified/extensible WebCenter architecture.
  • Your workflows will be based on SOA/BPEL or BPM.  This foundation is in place to help you  embrace the enhanced BPM workflow technology Oracle will be releasing.
  • Applications will be Java-based, allowing you the option to run on just about any platform.

You will also realize the following benefits from WebCenter Imaging 11g:

  • Improved ease-of-use
  • Common well-designed Web interfaces for all WebCenter Content functions
    • Document and imaging management
    • Digital asset management
    • Web content management
    • Records management
  • Web-based – minimal user workstation footprint
  • Higher productivity – all content-related functions are performed in one place
  • Open integration to many line-of-business applications
  • Improved system administration is available
  • Higher levels of support are available
  • Simpler upgrades in the future

Some considerations you should evaluate as you plan for your upgrade:

  • Server consolidation – the WebCenter Imaging architecture allows for higher performance and better scalability with far fewer servers than the I/PM architecture
  • Licensing enhancements – Oracle’s processor-based licensing allows you to add additional users without worrying about additional user licenses
  • Improved integration functionality – inherent in Web-based Java applications
  • Document capture enhancements
  • Data capture enhancements available with WebCenter Forms Recognition
  • Enhanced workflow capabilities available with BPEL and BPM
  • System administration

Consulting companies with WebCenter expertise such as TekStream Solutions, who are experts with the WebCenter products and in particular WebCenter Capture and Imaging can, assist you in the most effective evaluation of your I/PM solution and the above considerations.  Utilizing resources from companies such as TekStream gives you immediate access to skills, knowledge, and experience with WebCenter Capture and Imaging that typically require a long internal training and ramp up period.  These resources will provide insight into how best to go about your upgrade and what pitfalls to avoid, as well as the additional temporary headcount to execute the necessary upgrade tasks.  This will reduce your risk, accelerate your upgrade process, and minimize long-term internal resource costs.

WebCenter consultants who are experts in Capture and Imaging can also assist you with other considerations associated with your upgrade from I/PM to Imaging 11g.  These are the workarounds that may be necessary to address special configurations or customizations you may have made to your I/PM solution.  Some functionality that has been achieved through creative configuration and customization of I/PM over its 15+ year life span may need special attention.  WebCenter Imaging consultants can quickly identify these items, and recommend 11g-based workarounds to achieve the same results.

There is work to do to move from Optika/Stellent/Oracle I/PM to WebCenter Capture and Imaging 11g, but it will be well worth the effort.  It will provide immediate short-term benefits, and position you to enjoy the full value and benefits of the WebCenter engagement platform in the future.  The most effective approach to moving from I/PM to Imaging 11g is to engage a consulting company like TekStream Solutions with WebCenter expertise.  This will minimize your cost, risk, and accelerate your journey to the WebCenter world.