The SkyVault Content Services architecture
supports the requirements of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) applications, such as
Document Management (DM), Web Content Management (WCM), Records Management (RM), Digital Asset
Management (DAM), and Search.
Support ECM requirements
Each of these disciplines has unique and
overlapping characteristics so that the design of each capability is not done in isolation but
in the context of the whole system.
Simple, simple, simple
SkyVault Content Services aims to be as simple as
possible to develop against, customize, deploy, and use. The simplest and probably most widely
deployed ECM solution is the shared document drive: the architecture is driven by the aim to
be as simple as a shared drive.
Scaling to the enterprise
Every service and feature is designed up front
to scale in terms of size of data set, processing power, and number of users.
Modular approach
SkyVault Content Services architecture takes a modular
approach in which capabilities are bundled into modules whose implementation can be replaced
if required, or not included at all. Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) techniques allow for
fine-tuning and optimization of an ECM solution.
Incorporating best-of-breed libraries
Where possible, SkyVault Content Services incorporates best-of-breed
third-party libraries. The open source nature lends itself to integrating with the wealth of
available open source libraries. This is done whenever it is more profitable to integrate than
build or whenever expertise is better provided in another project rather than in-house.
Environment independence
SkyVault Content Services does not dictate the
environment upon which it depends, allowing choice in the operating system, database,
application server, browser, and authentication system to use when deploying. ECM is less
about the application and more about the services embedded within an application. You can
choose how to package SkyVault Content Services —
for example, as a web application, an embedded library, or portlet.
Solid core
The heart of SkyVault Content Services is implemented in Java. This
decision was driven by the wealth of available Java libraries, monitoring tools, and
enterprise integrations. Java is also a trusted runtime for many enterprises wishing to deploy
applications in their data centers. Each capability is implemented as a black-box Java service
tested independently and tuned appropriately.
Scriptable extensions
Extensions will always need to be created for
custom solutions and there are many custom solutions versus the single SkyVault Content Services core. Therefore, extension
points are developed using JVM-based scripting languages, allowing a much wider pool of
developers to build extensions versus those that can contribute to the core. Extensions are
packaged entities, allowing for the growth of a library of third-party reusable extensions.
Standards-based approach
The architecture always complies with standards
where applicable and advantageous. Primary concerns are to reduce lock-in, improve integration
possibilities, and hook into the ecosystems built around the chosen standards.
Architecture of participation
The architecture promotes a system designed
for community contribution. In particular, the architecture principles of a solid core,
modularity, standards compliance, simplicity of development, and scriptable extensions
encourage contribution of plug-ins and custom ECM solutions. Participation complements the
open source approach to the development of SkyVault Content Services and fosters growth of the
SkyVault community. As the
community grows, the quality of self service improves, as well as the quality of feedback.
This, in turn, enhances SkyVault Content Services
and creates the ultimate feedback loop.
