Progressive Information Technologies announced the release of Vasont 8.0, the latest version of its content management system for cross-media publishing. Combining digital asset management and content management functionality, Vasont 8.0 handles the creation, management and publishing of content ranging from basic text and graphics to audio and video files. New and enhanced features of Vasont 8.0 include multi-language translation management, built-in customizations, asynchronous processing, performance enhancements, integration of XSLT, enhanced versioning, security access, and an expanded Application API. Vasont 8.0 solves the challenge of repurposing content across all media — print, Web, CD-ROM and wireless channels — while ensuring enterprise-wide content integrity. Vasont 8.0 stores only one copy of the content in its repository and automatically updates content in all of its uses throughout the system once a user makes a change to the original content. Vasont 8.0 will be available this February as a client/server or Web-based system. www.vasont.com, www.pit-magnus.com

Oracle Corp. announced the immediate availability of new portal enhancements for Oracle9i Application Server, designed to capture and integrate data from multiple data sources including Web Services, spreadsheets and Web sites. These features, OmniPortlet and Web Clipping, shift the customization and integration of portal development from IT departments to end-users, allowing non-technical users to customize portal content and integrate data via self-service interfaces. The OmniPortlet functionality allows business users to access Web services, XML, and spreadsheet data sources and publish them in various formats including reports, forms, charts and news, in the form of a portlet. The Web Clipping feature offers a way to capture content and functionality from existing internal Web sites and present them as portlets. The OmniPortlet and Web Clipping features are included in the Oracle9i Application Server Portal Developer Kit, which is available for immediate download free of charge from OTN. The features will also ship with Oracle9i Application Server Release 2, version 9.0.4, scheduled to be released in the first half of 2003. www.oracle.com

Autonomy Corporation plc announced the release of the Autonomy Eduction module. The Autonomy Eduction module automatically analyzes unstructured text and extracts pertinent information in order to form complex metadata. Autonomy’s automatic technology, which underpins the Intelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL) into which the new Eduction module fits, removes the manually intensive process of creating complex metadata and produces it in real time. Autonomy provides the ability to intelligently extract relevant information from unstructured data based on a conceptual understanding of the item rather than relying solely on noun phrase methods. With Autonomy’s technology, a business can channel all manner of information such as phone numbers, URLs, interest rates and serial numbers contained in unstructured file formats into any location or database based on the type of information it is. Autonomy’s Eduction module can be customized to organize new information via user defined rules in the plain tagging process, through concept-value tagging which uses predefined models to train by example or through a combination of both methods. www.autonomy.com

First Consulting Group, Inc. announced the release of FirstDoc 2.0, FCG’s content management suite to help life sciences and pharmaceutical companies speed their products to market and comply with federal regulatory requirements. FirstDoc 2.0’s has several enhancements added to increase user speed and convenience for creating and managing content associated with research and development, regulatory submissions and marketing and sales. With FirstDoc 2.0, end users in global organizations can display all screens — including help messages — in their local language, reducing potential for misunderstandings. A simpler Web interface enables users to personalize their views of information stored in various repositories. Improved workflow capabilities allow users to select who will review and approve their documents — based on business roles — at the time of routing. www.fcg.com

XML Global Technologies, Inc. announced the release of GoXML Messaging 3.0. GoXML Messaging is a secure SOAP-based messaging system that supports ebXML Messaging Specification 2.0. GoXML Messaging 3.0 has been successfully certified in the current round of Drummond Group ebXML Messaging 2.0 interoperability tests sponsored by the Uniform Code Council, Inc. (UCC). GoXML Messaging now allows businesses to publish Web services that offer security guarantees for business documents such as invoices, health records and digital images. GoXML Messaging is designed to operate as a lightweight web application or as a small-footprint embeddable software component. This enables existing applications to engage in secure and reliable document exchanges over intranets and the Internet. Key features of GoXML Messaging 3.0 include being certified for ebXML Message Service 2.0 interoperability, support for ebXML CPA 2.0 trading partner agreements, persistent message storage for reliable messaging, a Java API. GoXML Messaging 3.0 is available for evaluation from January 20, 2003. www.xmlglobal.com