This was a great conference I think which does not mean that things can’t be improved but let me come to that later on. I like the fact that the conference is very technical because it gives me a way to find out what can be done with this large toolbox that Documentum is. I found most more business-oriented presentations to superficial and the key point of all of them is usually reduced to: save money, do things faster, do things more efficiently and sell more stuff. All of which is pretty self-evident. I think it is great to have the ability to meet the product managers and ask those tricky questions that you have collected during the year. EMC also seem to be a fairly open company so roadmaps are frequently presented and discussion.
So how do I feel about Documentum now then. To sum it up: Finally, they understand the importance of sleek, nice and usable user interfaces. I have heard many saying that Documentum is a great platform but with rather crappy user interfaces. Now that is definately going away. It was so great to see the new Magellan interface which actually addresses many of the real capabilities that modern so called Knowledge Workers need. The MediaWorkSpace application which soon will have DAM capabilities is even cooler. A lot of the design is also inspired from a great company in Cupertino, California called Apple. MediaWorkSpace almost feel like a server-based version of iPhoto sometimes. Everything is getting service oriented which is just great for the integration efforts we all have. WebTop/DAM is also getting a visual overhaul which makes them on par with what you can see in Alfresco for instance. TaskSpace is getting even cooler in 6.5 and the configuration of the interface can almost be called easy now. So Documentum is definately looking better than ever now.
What can be improved then (and here I agree with Word of Pie a lot):
– Strengthen the Documentum (CMA) community by having all of us wear the yellow tag so we know who we can talk to about these things because the 6000 storage nerds does not seem to be interested at all in software.
– Move all the sessions into one area with a soft hang-out area in between.
– Previous year they apparently had something called “Meet the speakers” and that seem like a great event.
– I would like to have more focus in the sessions on particular products so you can plan for getting updates on all the ones you are using. I would for instance have liked a designated one about the DAM client. Combined them if necessary but state explicitly which products that are covered.
– More plugs for my laptop powercord. After all this is an IT-conference I really like to take notes on my computer. Even with double batteries for my PowerBook it is hard to last from 8.30 am to 6.15 pm.
– Bigger screens. Some rooms are huge and it is real hard to read the presentations from the back.
– Why not record at least the CMA sessions on video. After all EMC is all about digital content and it could be a nice show case of the rich media capabilities.
– Case studies are better than overview sessions. Always to hear more concrete experiences from customers.
Next year it is in Orlando. Maybe I am giving a speech then 🙂