Content publishing package promises end to IT-related bottlenecks in web posting

A company with Edmonton-based R&D facilities is touting a new file serving package that enables managers to publish web content independent of tech support. MA-based iKnowledge Inc has closed several high-profile sales and licensing deals since August for its self-styled content lifecycle automation package. Its currently marketing the package to ASPs and web hosting companies that deal with the entertainment, media, financial and health care markets. While the software won’t entirely eliminate the need for tech staff, iKnowledge CEO Dan Trajman says it reduces many of the bottlenecks associated with putting music, videos and other content on the ‘Net. "More and more companies want to re-purpose the information they own over the different networks," he explains. "Once it grows, there’s a major issue of how the hell you manage it. This is a major pain point." Another headache, he says, is IT professionals. "They’re hard to find, they’re expensive, they’re sometimes arrogant and loyalty is very low. They’re creating a bottleneck for companies using IT to manage their web sites." To respond to those concerns, iKnowledge has created a server and publishing platform which allows companies to buy, publish and refresh content from executives’ desktops, eliminating the need to involve IT staff in the process. The software tracks content, users and billing. Customers include Lineup, which came on board last month, and Universal Music Group Inc, which uses the platform to publish www.musiclounge.com, a video streaming service featuring top popular acts.Trajman says there are no limits on the type of content that can be handled over the platform, since content isn’t re-packaged from its original form. Its flexibility stems from a database-driven back-end, and a flexible API, or application programming interface, built from scratch. The company works with several partners to provide components such as an Oracle-based database. The system doesn’t offer digital rights management, but Trajman says it could be easily added using API. He cites Lineup, which has merged DoubleClick’s advertising management software into the system, as an example. "We can’t provide all the solutions, but we’ve built it to incorporate others," he says. The product is about 80 per cent off-the-shelf technology, with some customization required for each customer. Lineup and Universal, he says, have embraced the product because it’s the first they’ve seen that puts publishing in the hands of managers. "The tool addresses business people and not programmers. Business line managers make the decisions and do the actual application use… They don’t have to rely on programmers who will tell them, ‘you know, it will take a week to develop the program to do that.’ They can react to the market needs right there and then." Beyond pop music and video, the company’s bread and butter will likely be in large enterprises. Privately-held iKnowledge has signed deals with companies servicing as outsourcers to the health and financial industries where they are licensing the platform to provide internal customer care information and audio/visual learning material on intra- and extra-nets. As outsourcing grows, and the publication of content is increasingly put in the hands of managers, Trajman says the need for internal IT people will decrease. While recognizing the role of technical staff in maintaining desktops and networks, he says products such as iKnowledge will represent a revolution in how companies treat content and ultimately reduce the need for IT people altogether.

Content publishing package promises end to IT-related bottlenecks in web posting

Broadcast | April 5, 2001

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