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...from, would be simpler to pick 100, right? Not at all.
As you'll see in our Spring Buyers' Guide, our knowledge management community consists of more than 1,500 companies, whose offerings range from forms processing to social networking, content management to collaboration, imaging to, well, you name it. And, no, we're not trying to be everything for everybody, but we are firmly committed to knowledge management as an attitude, not an application. So, those of us who put the list together--KM practitioners, theorists, vendors, customers, analysts and editors--had a hell of a time agreeing on the companies we selected. Just as we did last year, we "cheated" a little by adding a separate category--consultants and analysts (and, this year, integrators).
Obviously, it's impossible to know precisely what each of the 1,500 companies has done--or thought about doing--in the past year. So, each of us had to bring to our brainstorming sessions information about those firms that, for one reason or another, had the most compelling story to tell--or at least made the effort to tell its story to us. Surely, we made mistakes.
In past years--especially 2000 (when some mind-boggling technology was appearing), we found the sheer "gee-whiz" factor of the software compelling enough to deserve mention, that the promise was there for some real breakthroughs. Certainly, the promise was there, but it was frequently unfulfilled because of a number of reasons--hype, funding, cashing out, consolidation and, all too often, the failure of developers and marketeers to complete their assignments. This year, we avoided what could appear to be flash-in-the-pan offerings. Instead, we've focused on those technologies and companies that provide--in our opinion, anyway--true business solutions, not thin veneers of technology.
At the risk of being repetitive, just as in previous years, the list was conceived as a way to identify some of the organizations leading the way in the knowledge economy. It was compiled to encourage the broader discussion of knowledge management. Criteria for inclusion varied, but all companies have things in common. Each has either helped to create a market, redefine one or enhance one, and they all share one thing--velocity of innovation.
Any list such as ours is a work in progress, and so it is with this one. We're always on the lookout for groundbreaking solutions or elegant modifications to existing ones. As we move through 2004, we'll likely add a few companies and make any necessary changes due to mergers or acquisitions. The companies are listed along with their home pages, and we encourage you to spend time on their sites to get to know them and their solutions better. Throughout the year, the organizations and products we find most interesting will be showcased on our site and in our magazine.
We should emphasize again that the list is really a marker in time for the evolving and expanding knowledge management universe. We invite discussion and encourage you to contact us regarding KM tools and services you find especially valuable. Vendors: Ask your customers to tell us how your solutions have benefited their business. Analysts, consultants and integrators: Give us a heads-up when you discover especially interesting software and emerging trends.
Remember, the purpose of the list is to generate interest and discussion about knowledge management tools and services--it's not an award program. Send your comments to: kmcompanies@kmworld.com.
Arbortext
By adding flexibility and automation to the publishing process, Arbortext software enables organizations to deliver fresher, more accurate and more relevant content for Web, mobile and print usage.
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One of the most important functions of an organization is to capture and share intellectual content with customers, employees, investors, suppliers and partners. The simplest form of intellectual content is email; the most complex includes formal publications such as product catalogs, operating instructions, reference works, legal contracts and regulatory submissions. Arbortext focuses on the latter: business-critical content that must be accurate, relevant, fresh and available across multiple types of media.
Through publishing automation, organizations reap not only process improvements such as reductions in cost and time-to-market, but also improvements in the content itself, which leads to better customer relationships before, during and after the sale.
Due to the handcrafted approach of traditional publishing software, document production is a slow, inefficient process that cannot easily accommodate new requirements. Arbortext's publishing software automates that process, which not only increases productivity but also gives organizations the flexibility to quickly create new and updated documents.
Arbortext software is in use at 30% of the Fortune 500 including 95% of leading aircraft manufacturers, 75% of leading automotive manufacturers, 90% of leading technical/reference publishers and 80% of leading telecommunication manufacturers.
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Arbortext has offices around the globe and is on the Web at www.arbortext.com.
Captiva Software
Captiva software Corporation provides input management solutions that optimize the flow of information across the enterprise, transform deluges of incoming data into streamlined, business-ready content, and allow companies to quickly access mission-critical information and better serve their customers.
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Captiva's product line includes: FormWare[R] for forms processing; InputAccel[R] for enterprise-level document capture; InputAccel Express[TM] for entry or departmental-level document capture; InputAccel for Invoices, for processing most any invoice; and ClaimPack[TM], a vertical solution that automates HCFA and UB92 processing. Captiva also offers a host of imaging tools and services through Pixel Translations--such as ISIS[R] drivers, PixTools[R] toolkits and QuickScan[TM] Pro--and a wide array of healthcare solutions through Context, such as FirstPass[TM], Claims Editor[TM], Code Link[TM] and UCR databases.
Captiva's input management solutions are compatible with any backend system: ECM, ERP, CRM, any database or repository. Since 1989, Captiva has been leveraging cutting-edge technologies and combining them with dedicated, professional and technical support, helping businesses save time and money by automating processes, reducing overhead costs and improving data accuracy.
For more information on our products and services, or to enjoy a free product webinar, please visit www.captivasoftware.com, or call us at 1.858.320.1000.
ClearForest
ClearForest: Structuring Text to Extend the Value of Enterprise Systems
Organizations are increasingly faced with the need to efficiently access and leverage unstructured data to remain competitive. Text categorization and search tools are effective when users know what they are looking for. However, they remain flawed solutions when the task at hand is to expose critical, but unknown, information to enhance enterprise...
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More articles from KMWorld
The social life of echo chambers.(Opinion), April 01, 2004
ServiceWare upgrades its offerings.(Industry Watch), April 01, 2004
eiStream acquires Identitech suite.(Industry Watch)(Brief Article), April 01, 2004
Integrify forms SOX alliance.(Industry Watch), April 01, 2004
Nstein and Cognos partner.(Industry Watch), April 01, 2004
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