FileNet
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FileNet Corporation, founded in 1982 by Ted Smith, develops software to help enterprises manage their content and business processes. The FileNet P8 platform, their flagship system, is a framework for developing custom enterprise systems, offering much functionality out of the box and capable of being customized to manage a specific business process. On August 10, 2006, IBM announced plans to acquire FileNet for roughly $1.6 billion[1]. The transaction closed on Thursday, October 12, 2006.
Based in Costa Mesa, California, the company markets Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and Business Process Management (BPM) solutions in more than 90 countries through its own global sales, services and support organizations, as well as via its ValueNet Partner network of resellers, system integrators and application developers.
Many of the Forbes 100 companies currently use FileNet systems to manage their content and/or business process[citation needed].
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[edit] History
FileNet was the first company to create a commercially successful document imaging solution for businesses. Its first commercial system was installed in March of 1985. In the early 80's this required FileNet not only to produce software but also provide the necessary hardware for its software to run on. This included customized workstations running FDOS (FileNet Distributed Operating System) with special graphic cards for the then uncommon high-resolution 19+in monitors, and OSAR (Optical Storage and Retrieval), a robotic optical storage jukebox storing 64 2.6 Gigabyte optical disks. FileNet also invented the first commercial BPM (Business Process Automation) software it called WorkFlo first delivered later in 1985.
FileNet later enhanced their software offering by launching their "C.O.L.D." (Computer Output to Laser Disk) software in 1986 for storing print streams and thus eliminating the need to print them. That was another first for FileNet whose COLD product name became the name of a new software category.
On August 10 2006, FileNet agreed to be acquired by IBM Corp. for about $1.6 Billion in cash.
[edit] FileNet acquires Watermark, Saros and Greenbar
In the early nineties FileNet realized its document management solution was incomplete without electronic document management, a capability which was incorporated through the acquisition of Saros Corporation in 1995 whose core product SAROS Mezzanine would survive to this day as FileNet Content Services.
During this acquisition spree FileNet also acquired Watermark Software, a very successful low-end document imaging solution, Watermark Enterprise and Ensemble and a Windows Based COLD product called Greenbar. This would help FileNet be the first document management company to have a complete "Integrated Document Management" suite with document imaging, electronic document management, COLD and workflow offerings. This was also the period where FileNet delivered their own internally developed entry level system called Workgroup. The Watermark products were retired by 1999.
In the mid-nineties WorkFlo Business System had evolved into Visual WorkFlo one of the first workflow solutions with a graphical interface for process modelling. Visual Workflo is considered a "Production Workflow" a type of workflow software created for the automation mission-critical, high-volume and high-complexity business processes.
[edit] Panagon
As a result of their Integrated Document Management strategy FileNet rebranded the entire product line - the original IMS products, the Saros products, and the newly developed client IDM products as the Panagon software suite. This was introduced in 1998 in the Disney Hotel in Anaheim, California during their annual sales kickoff, called Insight. This too was the first Insight Conference headed by their new President and current CEO, Lee Roberts.
In January 2001 FileNet release Acenza as an entre' into the applications marketplace. Acenza was not broadly adopted and was later retired from the market.
The Panagon Suite included the following products:
- Panagon Image Services (high-end imaging solution formerly known as IMS)
- Panagon Content Services (EDM solution, previously known as Saros Mezzanine)
- Panagon Report Manager (COLD solution formerly known as Greenbar)
- Panagon Desktop (new client interface created for the Panagon Suite)
- Panagon Web Services (new web interface with a common code base with Panagon Desktop; replaced Saros @Mezzanine)
- Panagon eProcess (Workflow Automation Solution built on top the Visual WorkFlo engine)
[edit] The P8 Suite
In January 2002 FileNet announced BrightSpire, an application that was eventually rebranded as FileNet P8 ECM. There are a number of FileNet P8 ECM suites that leveraged the experience gained from integrated document management, web content management, and workflow into an integrated Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform. In addition, it took the Workflow products and further developed analysis and optimization components with the Panagon Process Analyzer and Process Simulator, respectively. This enables organizations to analyze and improve processes. This move took FileNet into the Business Process Management field (BPM), and it is regarded as a leader in this growing area.
In April of 2002, FileNet acquired Bethesda, MD based eGrail Corporation to add Web Content Management (WCM) to both the Panagon and FileNet P8 ECM families of products.
In April 2003, FileNet added eForms capabilities to the Panagon and P8 products with the acquisition of long time form software vendor Shana Corporation of Edmonton, Canada.
Also in 2003 FileNet extended the P8 suite extending compliance capabilities with the P8 Records Manager solution which helps companies solve regulatory compliance and records issues.
In 2004 FileNet added Team Collaboration manager, built on the P8 platform it is an out-of-the box solution that helps organisations to be more agile and competitive by allowing virtual team members to work together across functional and geographical areas.
Late in 2005 FileNet acquired Yaletown Technology Group of Canada, formerly a FileNet ValueNet Partner; this allowed them to further their capabilities in managing different types of content in the FileNet P8 ECM platform with the Email Manager product (which they had been exclusively marketing in an OEM agreement and was formerly sold as eCW) and furthered their reach into compliance with Records Crawler, formerly known as Universal File Importer or UFI.
They also extended their Business Process Management capabilities releasing the Business Activity Monitor (BAM) solution, which provides real-time event management and visibility of business performance data to enhance operational responsiveness and decision making.
The FileNet P8 Suite includes the following products:
- FileNet Content Manager
- FileNet Business Process Manager
- FileNet eMail Manager
- FileNet Records Manager
- FileNet Team Collaboration Manager
- FileNet Web Content Manager
- FileNet Content Federation Services
- FileNet Image Manager (formerly known as Panagon Image Services)
- FileNet Content Services (formerly known as Panagon Content Services)
[edit] IBM Acquires FileNet
On August 10, 2006, IBM agreed to acquire FileNet for $35 per share which amounts to about 1.6 billion dollars in cash. The transaction closed on Thursday, October 12, 2006.
