Software upgrades are vital for organizations to improve performance. To maintain a competitive advantage, internal resource efficiency and service levels, organizations must ensure they are running the most up-to-date versions of their enterprise software portfolio.
OpenText™ Documentum™ is a mature product with a long release history. Documentum 5.0 was released in 2002, version 6.0 followed in 2007 and version 7 in 2012. Since OpenText acquired Documentum in 2017, we have released significant upgrades every six months. Each release is designed to further improve usability, performance and maximize the return on your investment in OpenText technology. No matter where you are on your upgrade cycle—whether you’re building the business case to move forward or are still deciding how to proceed—here are the top 10 reasons to upgrade:
Reason #1: Performance
With each Documentum release, there are incremental performance improvements designed to give end users a more responsive system and faster access to information—while putting less demand on IT resources. Some specific examples are the performance improvement between Documentum version 16.4 (April 2018) and Documentum 16.7 (October 2019)
-
- Platform runs 21% faster
- Documents upload 25% faster
- Documents open 30% faster
Reason #2: Enhance trust and security
As security threats continually evolve and corporate IT security policies become more stringent, enhanced enterprise security continues to be a primary investment theme across the Documentum Platform. We are constantly making security improvements throughout the platform to harden both on-premise and cloud deployments.
For example, in Documentum 16.7 (Oct 2019), we reduced risk from sophisticated malicious activity by tightening the permissions required for daily database use and eliminating the need for privileged database credentials outside a DBA-monitored maintenance window. We also applied more security scanning across the Documentum Server and platform components, including Fortify, Qualsys, BURP, Blackduck and third-party cloud penetration testing.
Our thorough testing allows us to address issues on new and existing code before release, and also provides an information base that enables us to advise customers running their own security tests to ensure Documentum is secure in their own environments.
Reason #3: Improve user experience
Incremental performance improvements in each Documentum release give users a more responsive system and include a host of new features that improve productivity.
- Search results are more accurate through the integration of full-text search and embedded thumbnails. Users can also filter their results by category to find relevant content faster
- More types of content are accessible via the introduction of format conversion for documents and video
- For developers, industry-standard REST APIs make custom solutions easier to build without specialized training
Reason #4: Reduce costs
One of the advantages of upgrading to the latest version of the Documentum platform is the ability to replace expensive Oracle databases with free opensource PostgreSQL and use low cost S3 storage. If moving to the cloud, you can replace expensive on-prem infrastructure with cheaper cloud alternatives.
Customers on Documentum version 7.2 or earlier are currently paying extended maintenance charges to remain compliant. Upgrading will allow them to revert back to standard maintenance rates.
Reason #5: Extend capability
Being on the latest versions allows you to extend the functionality and productivity of Documentum by connecting to other OpenText products. For example, OpenText Core Share adds the capability to securely share and collaborate on content in Documentum with people outside the organisation. Another cloud service that extends the capability of Documentum is OpenText Core for Federated Compliance which adds automated governance services across multiple Documentum repositories and file systems.
Reason #6: Improve productivity
Upgrading to the latest version of Documentum Platform allows organizations to update to the modern Documentum D2 UI and benefit from a uniform experience across desktop, laptop, mobile browser and mobile app.
Documentum D2 Mobile removes business bottlenecks by providing a best-in-class user experience for accessing and working on content from mobile devices. Administrators can control corporate content on BYOD mobiles and perform a remote wipe if a device is lost. D2 Mobile is available at no charge to all new and existing Documentum D2 customers.
Reason #7: Connect Documentum with Microsoft® Office 365™
No more switching between applications! Users can continue to work in their preferred applications such as Microsoft Word and Outlook, but now with direct access to content in Documentum from the ribbon menu. Users can browse, open and save documents to Documentum, making it easy to benefit from a company-wide system of record without having to open Documentum.
Reason #8: Simple updates
Once on the latest version of the Documentum Platform there will be no more complex upgrade projects, just simple in-place updates that do not require re-installing, re-configuration or manual re-customizing. Documentum updates are now provided as patches that preserve existing configurations and simplify deployment. Patches are released quarterly and take minutes to deploy.
Reason #9: Realizing your cloud strategy
Organizations are moving to the cloud to reduce cost and risk while increasing the performance of their applications and platforms. Containerization of Documentum technology allows organizations to align their Documentum deployments to their enterprise-wide cloud strategy, regardless of whether it is the OpenText Cloud, an on-premises platform or a public cloud. Containerized technology can run alongside older implementations to enable a manageable cloud adoption path. It is easy to move Documentum containers between cloud providers.
There are five delivery patterns for OpenText solutions—putting customers in control of where content is stored and how it is processed.
Reason #10: We’re here to help
OpenText provides a full range of services to help your organization successfully transition to the latest version of Documentum. Let our experts work with you to assess your current environment and provide recommendations for a successful upgrade in whichever cloud/on-premises model works for you. No matter which path you choose, you can count on OpenText to help with your upgrade and deployment process.
Resources
- Customers with active maintenance receive access to new releases of the software at no charge. Learn more about OpenText Prime Protect in the Software Maintenance Program Handbook.
- Find the release dates and subsequent sustaining maintenance for your OpenText products by visiting the Support Lifecycle page on My Support (customer login required).
- Learn more about the evolution of Documentum architecture and the benefits it brings. Read the new whitepaper: Documentum deployment models.
