Are SOA (Service Oriented Architecture),
Java and XML going to simplify the IT landscape
and bring it closer to the end user? Could subsequently
output management solutions be integrated into
business processes easier and better to serve
as an important link in customer oriented business
communication? “Not so”, says Annemarie
Pucher, CEO of ISIS Papyrus. Project complexity
and lead times are exploding with these new buzz-word
technologies but for the last five years ISIS Papyrus
has been offering a much more usable solution
with Papyrus Objects.
Business processes and business communication
are not just related issues, they are a single
entity. Business communication takes place within
the company as well as with the outside world
and is always linked to a process. A document,
a selection menu, a sticker, a note, a data record,
an html website, a Flash presentation, an e-mail
or even a message in your voice mail - all of
this is business communication.
Business communication takes place within the
company as well as with the outside world and
is always linked to a process.
This explains why complete integration into
a simplified flow chart is futile because every
process has to be hard coded into the system;
too often supplemented by JAVA or XML. The only
way to establish a coherent customer service
environment is to define all process components
in state engines and enable them to interact
across application and process boundaries by
means of “Events”.
In order to accomplish this, five years ago ISIS Papyrus
began recommending the integration of inbound
and outbound document management. Today, this
idea is being copied by much of the ECM industry
and is falsely advertised as ‘simple’ with
the use of SOA, Java and XML. SOA, however, is
nothing more than a concept whilst Java and XML
are programming languages to create pre-defined,
rigid applications within high-risk projects.
What is still missing is powerful integration
technology that allows the end user to model
and expand upon their own solutions.
Complete Solution for BPM and Business Communication
Papyrus WebRepository is the starting point
for all ISIS Papyrus solutions. While most all
of the SOA vendors forego an actual repository
or try to integrate 3rd party products, the Papyrus
Objects platform is built around the repository
as the fundamental system component.
Acting as a central hub, Papyrus WebRepository
provides seamless integration between applications,
interfaces and operating systems. Projects are
not managed outside of the repository, but rather,
in a step-by-step process from within. The traditionally
sharp border between development and production
changes into that of a parallel environment and
requires a radical new approach to maintaining
system integrity and security. The Papyrus concept
does not require actual programming in Java or
other programming languages. Java can of course
be used for coding standard software but this
will not result in ‘agile’ applications
and processes.
A system like Papyrus Objects requires unlimited
scalability and in order to achieve this it uses
patented object oriented distributed transactions
to integrate any number of servers and PCs into
a homogenous system.
Papyrus WebRepository provides a simple way
to generate and distribute reusable rules and
decision-trees by using a graphical user interface.
Adapters are easily defined once without the
need for programming to integrate input data
from external database systems or interfaces.
These definitions can be used by ‘drag
and drop’ into any process or document
that has the right authorisation including SOA
compliant interfaces.
Integrated Security Concept
This brings us to the issue of security which
does not have to be implemented as an additional
external solution or through integration efforts.
All processes, documents and data are safeguarded
by a system of user roles and privileges. Users
are authenticated by log-in which can be optionally
augmented with SmartCard or fingerprint technology.
Documents and processes can be digitally signed
for subsequent auditing.
A powerful version control system allows for
the dynamic continuing development of documents
and processes that meet user requests and market
demands in a timely manner. Papyrus WebRepository
manages a component library that insures the
secure and controlled re-use of building blocks
such as text, rules and images throughout all
applications. Any changed building block is activated
as a new version in all applications that use
it at a pre-defined point in time.
All finalized processes as well as their incoming
and outgoing documents are securely stored in
the Papyrus WebArchive, with electronic signature
if required. All applications managed in the
Papyrus WebRepository can be transparently created,
distributed and used across all operating systems
including
z/OS, Windows, Unix and Linux.
One uniquely innovative feature of the Papyrus WebRepository
is the User Trained Agent (US patent pending).
This self-learning software component, developed
by ISIS Papyrus, intuitively learns from a user’s
actions when processing a business case. Conventional
business process management solutions on the
other hand require time consuming process analysis,
modelling, simulations, deployment, monitoring
and fine tuning.
Self-learning System
For example the UTA (User Trained Agent) will
learn by observing user interaction in a certain
business case by a certain user role through
the recurring steps that are taken to process
a certain document. As a result the UTA will
adapt default system behavior and after a certain
number of repetitions are observed it will automatically
execute the process.
All processes, documents and data are safeguarded
by a system of user roles and privileges.
This is not just the simple recording of user
activity but very powerful pattern recognition
technology that is very similar to human learning.
From this learning process the UTA can extrapolate
that a certain user type will act in a repetitive
way given the same situation. This reduces the
process analysis effort dramatically since only
the involved components need to be defined and
not the actual processes.
Enough already with Complex Projects
Already more than 100 of the 1000+ Papyrus customers
are utilizing the vast potential of centrally
managed processes in the Papyrus WebRepository
to migrate correspondence, incoming mail, archiving
and processing from high maintenance third party
systems. Papyrus WebRepository turns the nightmare
of fragmented communication infrastructures into
consistent and harmonious units without complex
and costly projects.
"Papyrus projects do take time
to be completed since human interaction is involved.
Time and cost, though, are only a fraction of
that required with traditional approaches." says
Annemarie Pucher, CEO, ISIS Papyrus
In the end every Papyrus project meets exactly
all user requirements and is by far easier to
keep up-to-date than any Java/XML application
- with or without SOA. |
