Digital Photo Files Fuzzy No MoreDigital Photo Files Fuzzy No More

BOC Gases learned the hard way what it means to manage digital photo files without a digital asset-management system in place. The maker of industrial gases that supplies helium for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York has been storing its extensive photo library in a Documentum Inc. content repository and accessing it via Documentum's content-management interface. But the system has limitations. It can't automatically transform files to particular formats, such as PowerPoint presentations or Web-site postings.

"Transformations were quite painful," says John Koerwer, manager of design automation for BOC's global engineering division in Murray Hill, N.J.

That pain may soon become a thing of the past. This week, Documentum is unveiling updated products that integrate digital asset-management technology acquired through its purchase of the Bulldog Group in December. For the first time, Documentum customers will be able to manage everything from text documents and engineering diagrams to photos and high-resolution video, letting the vendor meet the growing demand for a single system that can access and manipulate all types of digital content.

As the demand to manage a broader assortment of content types grows, content-management vendors face increasing pressure to meet that demand, Delphi Group senior adviser Larry Hawes says. While Vignette and Interwoven are strong in document-focused content management and companies such as Convera and Artesia Technologies are established in the digital asset arena, Documentum may now offer the most viable combination of the two, he says. The integration of Bulldog's technology positions Documentum to penetrate the media and entertainment markets.

Documentum's update will enable BOC to automate the customization of photos for use in presentations, sales proposals, brochures, and Web sites, all of which frequently target particular market segments, Koerwer says.

On the flip side, music conglomerate EMI Group, which had been a Bulldog customer and is considering adopting Documentum's document-management software, wants to marry music files and CD artwork with documents such as contracts, marketing materials, and press releases under one content-management view. Making all content associated with a recording readily available would let EMI more effectively manage the promotion of artists and the use of their recordings, says Carey Capaldi, a system architect and manager of EMI's software development.

Documentum's management features will be available to Bulldog customers later this year. Documentum customers can purchase a Bulldog plug-in for managing Internet-quality audio, video and images. A combined system that manages documents and digital assets is available now, starting at about $150,000.