Content Central

Content Central is a document management software package from Ademero, Inc.  Content Central installs and runs on one or more servers and provides thin-client access via a Web browser. User roles are based on security permissions. An included workflow engine is provided to automate document-centric business processes.
Content Central has been reviewed by industry experts.
It is unclear if Content Central supports ISO standards.
Uses
*Content Central accepts scanned images of paper documents from multiple sources, performing optical character recognition (OCR) and archiving the data for retrieval. Content Central also captures and stores electronic documents.
*Documents and other content captured with Content Central can be retrieved, modified and distributed by users having appropriate security permissions. Content Central integrates with Microsoft Office and other line-of-business applications.
*An approval-process engine moves documents along pre-determined or ad-hoc paths. A rules-based workflow engine performs defined actions based on scheduled or event-driven triggers. Accounts-payable processing is a common use of workflow automation in Content Central.
Components
;Capture
:A dedicated Windows service accepts files from network folders, e-mail servers and Web-browser uploads. It accepts both scanned images of paper documents (PDF, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, BMP, GIF) and existing electronic documents. The service processes captured images with OCR and converts them to PDF documents.
;Indexing
:Content Central builds a full-text index using OCR from processed images and embedded text in electronic documents. Metadata for each document can be gathered when captured via user input, XML or database lookup. Every document in Content Central belongs to a catalog and has a given document type. Packets link multiple document types using a key metadata field.
;Storage
:Documents are stored at the server level on redundant local or network file systems. The Content Central database references these locations. Normal users do not have access to the documents at this level. Instead, the users retrieve and manage the documents using the Web application.
;Versioning
:Content Central tracks changes to each document by major and minor revisions. Major revisions involve content changes, and these revisions are stored individually on the file system. Minor revisions involve events such as metadata changes, approvals and rejections. An interface allows users to reference former versions of a given document.
;Searching
:Users search for documents by providing one or more full-text or metadata keywords. Results can be narrowed by filtering by one or more catalogs, document types and other metadata.
;Retrieval
:Content Central presents documents to users depending on their permissions and location in the application. Locations include Search Results, Approval Queue, Catalog Browser and Coding Queue. Many document types can be displayed within the Web browser. Others can be saved locally or launched in their native application. Documents can be checked out for modification and checked in when revisions are complete.
;Collaboration
:Administrators and users can route documents to one another for collaboration purposes using on-demand routing to users' Work Queues. Documents can be shared with guests, and expirations determine when they will be revoked.
;Distribution
:Along with internal use of the Work Queue, external distribution occurs using built-in e-mail and faxing interfaces. Distribution can be automated using the rules-based workflow engine.
;Workflow
:Administrators define approval processes at the document-type level. Recipient types for each stage include the creator, single users, groups and peer review. A dedicated Windows service manages these approval processes as well as custom rules composed of triggers and actions. Event-based triggers include new document in the system, metadata updated and arrival in a work queue. Schedule-based triggers include age of document, number of items in the approval queue and completed packets. Actions include copy to folder, send message, and run external application.
;Security
:Content Central provides its own account system, and it can integrate with one or more Active Directory servers. Each user is provisioned with individual and/or group permissions. Examples of these include Add, View, Edit and Assign.
;Integration
:Built-in functionality exists for editing Microsoft Office documents. Content Central integrates with many business-software packages using ODBC, including SAP, Oracle, and AS/400.
Distinguishing features
*Content Central's features are not modular. Each Enterprise Edition implementation receives the complete set of features offered by Content Central.
*Live-chat support is integrated in the product.
*Users capture paper documents directly to the Web browser using a TWAIN-compliant document scanner. This provides an infrastructure for off-site and mobile scanning.
Deployment
Content Central deploys on a minimum of one server. Administrators of large implementations may choose to distribute the database, file-storage and Web-server components across multiple servers for performance considerations.
Authorized users access Content Central with a Web browser, such as Windows Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.
Licensing
Content Central is purchased by user license in the form of concurrent access or named users. The Enterprise Edition includes the complete feature set and does not have any limitation on the total number of users allowed for purchase. The Workgroup Edition serves up to 10 named users and contains only a portion of the features in the Enterprise Edition.
Product history
* First internal release: April, 2005
* Version 3.1: February, 2007
* Version 3.5: August 2007
* Version 4.0: November 2007
* Version 4.1: January 2008
* Version 4.6: August 2008
* Version 5.0: October 2009
* Version 6.0: August 2011

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