WCM with MOSS 2007 -Introduction (Part I)

This is the first in a series of articles about web content management with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

With the introduction the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) platform launches the next generation of web content management (WCM). Web content management will probably be a familiar term for those of you who have experience with Microsoft Content Management Server. But it is probably better to give a clear definition.

WCM is the management of both structure and unstructured content that is delivered over the Internet, typically via a web site. Web Content Management includes content creation, site management, workflow, access control, and delivery.

The main goal of WCM is to put content management and content creation in the hands of content owners and to relief the burden of site maintenance for your IT department. A WCM system allows for content owners to create html pages without any knowledge of HTML. A typical editing environment for these content  creators will be a web based page editor. Other typical requirements for WCM systems are approval flows, publication and expiration schedules for content, content authorization, content deployment, etc.

Microsoft Content Management Server 2002 (MCMS) already provided all the described functionality but still had some pain point such as:

• Lack of out of the box search functionality
• MCMS has a basic workflow system which lets users create pages but does not publish the content until it is approved. The workflow system used lacks however possibilities to extend it.
• Content authorization is based on Active Directory accounts or local computer accounts
• ActiveX client install needed for content authors
• Limited version support
• Limitations in the PAPI – Publishing API – the object model built around MCMS – e.g. security groups in MCMS are not exposed through the PAPI.
• The templates for the pages are static, it is not easy to move the placeholders for the required content

Microsoft clearly positions WCM as one of the key components in its integrated Enterprise Content Management offering with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. For more information take a look at the Microsoft Enterprise Content Management white paper which gives a broad overview of the ECM key functions:

• Document management
• Records management
• Web Content management
• Forms management

tags: wcm, moss2007, moss, sharepoint, sharepoint2007