XyEnterprise announced support for the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) in its Content@ content management and XML Professional Publisher (XPP) products. This support will promote efficient data exchange among different groups in publishing workflows, and enhance customization and personalization of publications for specific audiences and markets. The XMP metadata in the XyEnterprise solution will expand the ability to deliver business-critical content through multiple delivery channels. www.xyenterprise.com

IDEAlliance, Lighthouse Seminars, and the Gilbane Report announced that XTech 2005 (formerly XML Europe) will be held in conjunction with the Gilbane Conference on Content Management Technologies. Both conferences will take place 24-27 May 2005, at the Amsterdam RAI Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands. XTech 2005 is the European conference for developers and managers working with XML and Web technologies, bringing together the worlds of Web development, open source, semantic Web, and open standards. The Gilbane conference series brings thought leaders and practitioners from the analyst, consultant, integrator, vendor, and enterprise communities together to chart the course of the content technology markets, and provide advice, techniques, best practices, and “Content Technology Works” case studies to help organizations understand and successfully implement the content technologies most critical to their businesses. www.xtech-conference.org, www.lighthouseseminars.com, www.gilbane.com/conferences/overview.html

E Solutions Corp. announced the launch of E-CMS, an electronic content management solution designed to give small businesses greater control over their web sites. Employees with just word processing and Internet browser experience can use E-CMS to quickly change their company’s web site content, post news articles, alter the content’s size and color, add graphics and hyperlinks, or add and delete pages, all while maintaining the look and feel of the original web site. Users pay a one-time fee based on the number of pages in the web site. E Solutions also offers training for the site administrator and content administrators. www.esnet.com

Endeca announced the immediate availability of Endeca ProFind 4.6, a new version of its enterprise search, Guided Navigation and Content Spotlighting platform. The new software features Rich Site Summary (RSS) support for custom alerting and Web Services and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) support for system-to-system integration and customization. RSS support allows users of Endeca applications to create custom alerts and have them delivered as RSS feeds or via e-mail systems. RSS-enabled Endeca applications provide customers with a tool to deliver online content through a real-time, opt-in delivery mechanism. Endeca has added support for XML-based Web Services standards including SOAP and Web Services Description Language (WSDL). New time/date rules enhance business user control over Content Spotlighting. In addition to expanded phrase relevance ranking modules, new automatic phrase handling capabilities enhance the accuracy and relevancy of search results for multi-word queries. New content adapters for Microsoft SharePoint and Stellent content management offerings help ease application development and speed time-to-market. www.endeca.com

Authentica, Inc. introduced Authentica Secure Office Version 2.0 to deliver policy automation and enforcement and tight Microsoft Office integration to speed and simplify ERM deployments. It helps organizations manage risk and protect sensitive content while allowing users to collaborate within the enterprise and externally with partners and other associates. Authentica Secure Office lets information owners track and audit document activity and change policies centrally or within the desktop environment for the lifecycle of the content. A continuous audit trail reflects all document activity so organizations always know how information is being accessed and used. Authentica Secure Office will be available in December 2004 with pricing beginning at $50,000. www.authentica.com

Open Text Corporation said it is launching a new collaboration platform that will create a new way to work online. Called Livelink Touchpoint, the solution unifies Web conferencing, blogs, team workspaces, Instant Messaging and the ability to see the online presence of others into a single, seamless interface – a complete contextual collaboration platform to make communication and online work easier. Livelink Touchpoint is the first of many solutions to be based on Open Text’s new services-oriented development platform, called the Livelink ECM Services Architecture, also announced. Livelink Touchpoint is designed to better match the dynamics of human interaction, while eliminating the need for users to switch between applications to use different collaboration tools. For example, a user can see the presence of a co-worker online, Instant Message that person, then, with one click and within the same interface, quickly escalate that interaction into a Web meeting where the two can share documents or “white board” ideas. If necessary, the two can involve others and create a team workspace for an ongoing project. All collaboration occurs within the Livelink Touchpoint interface, with only a single click needed to add tools as the interaction progresses. Livelink Touchpoint also offers access to electronic content throughout the organization so users can easily access the information they need as they work with others online. Over the next year, Open Text will add new capabilities to further develop Livelink Touchpoint as a core collaboration interface for the Livelink ECM suite. Future enhancements include video, voice and mobile device integration. www.opentext.com/touchpoint

Justsystem announced the availability of a preview version of xfy technology, a new platform for creating, integrating and expressing XML-based applications. xfy introduces an intension-oriented document handling paradigm that enables the re-use of functional modules among several applications. Specifically, xfy’s basic architecture supports a direct relationship between source and presentation vocabularies, creating a true semantic basis for XML. This mapping is made possible by xfy’s Vocabulary Connection technology. The Vocabulary Connection technology also eliminates the need to develop application-specific modules for XML interpretation by supporting the use of easy-to-integrate plug-ins to streamline the application development process. xfy’s architecture, which is able to process many different types of XML documents as true compound documents, is targeted at a sophisticated enterprise IT landscape. Furthermore, a user or developer can easily define and construct an optimal application environment for his or her own needs. Starting today, a preview version of xfy technology can be downloaded at www.xfytec.com, www.justsystem.com

FatWire Software announced the rollout of CS Express, designed specifically to allow FatWire’s reseller channel to offer an enterprise-class Web content management (WCM) solution to small and mid-sized organizations. CS Express has all the capabilities of FatWire’s flagship product, Content Server. CS Express supports FatWire’s channel program. To help ensure that its channel partners are successful, FatWire allows its resellers to register and protect ownership of their sales opportunities, and provides incentives to its sales force for selling cooperatively with partners. CS Express provides the capabilities of FatWire Content Server for managing a single domain or URL. It includes:
Engage allows business people to personalize the site and marketers to deliver targeted campaigns on the Web; DocLink lets business users create and manage business documents within the Windows Explorer interface; Integration with MS-Word; and FirstSite FatWire’s quick-start tools, templates, and best practices for deploying a new site. Also included with CS Express are three days of on-site consulting for knowledge transfer and implementation planning, along with the first year of maintenance & support, including software updates and basic technical support. www.fatwire.com