OpenText Content Manager Reviews

HPE Content Manager 9, and its predecessors, is an excellent EDRMS with a strong emphasis on record lifecycle and compliance with government standards. It provides unparalleled storage and search capabilities, and is an invaluable tool to information management units across all sectors.

HPE Content Manager has built-in workflow components allowing users to manage business processes with ease.

Currently in development is a web client version of the software, doing away with the need to deploy full software clients to staff PCs. This web client requires more refinement to be viable as a desktop client replacement.

I’ve been using and supporting HPE Content Manager in its various versions and names for around six years.

Deployment comes in two parts:

• Server-side deployment, which, depending on the scale of deployment, can be fairly straightforward.
• Client-side deployment, on the other hand, can be complex.

In order to maintain stability, some monitoring from ICT staff is required to catch any anomalies before they become issues.

The system is very scalable with the ability to add infrastructure as required.

HPE has a self-help web page and a very active forum for HPE Content Manager. When lodging support tickets, the response time is very quick and the personnel are very professional. It helps to include as much information in the support tickets, as often you will be asked the same questions up front.

I have trialed other EDRMS solutions, though Content Manager is the software leader.

Initial software setup is straightforward, though quite a lot of preparation is required for the information management processes. As the software is very customizable, the actual configuration for business use requires a lot of input from information management staff.

My primary role is actually to implement this solution and, as consultants, I would suggest using vendor/partners.

Content Manager is a software seat license agreement. I would suggest ordering bulk licenses as running out of licenses can be disruptive to business.

Look for vendors or partners in your area to offer advice.

• Audit events on documents, folders
• Ability to manage retention, disposition
• Sharing documents, setting security on documents and folders
• User labels (we wish they were ‘shareable’)

• Sharing of documents
• Reduction of duplication
• Ability to manage retention, disposition and overall records management

• Easier to set security/access at all levels.
• Make the job of the administrator managing the system easier (client setup, position setup, org changes).
• The system options > Permissions tab for each user type: There are too many permissions with our recent upgrade that were ‘clumped together’ that make it difficult to manage what people in the system can do (e.g., Records Coordinators’ vs Records Managers’ ability for document deletion and removal).
• Copying datasets is difficult and time-consuming
• Enhancement requests that have been submitted are either not implemented or take a very long time to be implemented (we’ve stopped submitting them because of this).
• Emails used to be stored in VMBX format (now it is MSG format): This is problematic when trying to pull the emails out of HPE RM.
• Compound/linked files (e.g., InDesign, Dreamweaver, AutoCAD, linked Excel): When filed in HPE RM, the links are broken. This means that several departments at my organization cannot use HPE RM for their documents.
• Help file is not very helpful and has room for improvement.

I have used it since Sept. 2008.

It is hard to get technical support when you try to integrate HPE RM with other products. For example, when implementing a third-party load balancer, the response time was impacted significantly. It is a gray area between technical support and/or consulting, HPE did not provide much support.

Generally speaking, HPE’s support for the product has been weak since the acquisition from TOWER Software. There is a large gap between 1st-level support and the often-required 3rd-tier support. Escalation is often onerous and HPE seems to be focused on closing tickets rather than solving issues. More technical issues that need to go beyond support to the development group are extremely difficult to move forward.

We have not encountered any scalability issues.

The first level of technical support is not very helpful. All support calls have to go through the first level of support unless you purchase premium support. The application has a complex architecture with lots of arcane configuration settings. Complex issues often fall into the “try this” trap, which can cause serious impacts.

There was no document management system for the entire organization. However, one department (legal) was using Worldox, due the integration with their case management system.

• Issues with setting up and getting the retention schedule triggers to work: The help menu was not helpful and this was not a part of the basic configuration that was initially set up with the consultants.
• Management of multiple offices of primary responsibility (OPR): In our system, we have multiple OPRs, and HPE RM clients were using the owner to manage only one OPR.

The licensing model changed from the original model when we purchased the product. Initially, there was one license type (expensive) and you controlled what the user could do through the user security configuration. The new model breaks the licenses into multiple types, from Admin (full access) down to Read Only. Each successive level has functional areas they are prescribed from using. You will need to map those functions against your internal planned security wants to ensure you are buying the correct license type. For us, other than a handful of Read Only licenses, all new purchases tend to be at least the Records Manager level, as (for us) the lower license type are missing key capabilities.

Hummingbird document management was the only other shortlisted vendor. Others may have been in the initial RFP process. Keep in mind that we initiated it in 2008.

Fully understand the impact of how you set up the system; for example, the internal locations directory, security groups, security/access on different levels (classification, folder).

We use the solution for records management.

The solution allows us to do digital management, everything being digital nowadays, without the need to resort to paper use. The entire process has been digitized. 

We like how the solution allows us to have retention of records and workflows, as well as its fire plan. 

The ease of use should be addressed. If one is skillful then this will not present a problem, but a person who is not will be forced to struggle. 

Mobility, as it relates to the ability to have access, should also be addressed. 

We have been using Micro Focus Content Manager for five years. 

The solution is stable and is being used by bigger companies the world over. 

The solution is scalable. The technology allows for the scaling of different modules. Unlike SharePoint, the scalability is fine. There are different modules that can be scaled within the technology. 

We have plans to increase the usage. 

Premium support is available and it is good. 

Prior to the use of Micro Focus Content Manager we made use of SharePoint. We switched to the current solution since it provides a more mature process of records management. 

The deployment took six months and our implementation strategy was that of a cloud-based service package.

The implementation is handled by the partners.

We did everything on our own.

There are around five people responsible for deployment and maintenance. 

I would prefer not to address the frequency of our licensing requirements. 

The fees incurred are for the licensing and maintenance.

We also evaluated OpenText, but decided to go with Micro Focus Content Manager in the end. 

The entire organization makes use of the solution and this is primarily done by those in charge of records management. 

The organization comprises 500 people. 

My advice to others is that they cannot go wrong with the solution. It is the stable and secure Content Manager product available. 

I rate Micro Focus Content Manager as a seven out of ten. 

The most valuable features are retention and additional field options. Retention is important because we need to know when records are due for destruction for compliance. The ability to add our own user-defined fields allows us to modify this product to suite our needs.

It allows us to be in compliance and we know where every single record is located. This allows us to be efficient.

I would like to see an improvement in the licensing process. It is very complicated and it seems to involve many different people throughout the entire process.

We have used this solution for over 15 years. It was a product originally developed by TOWER Software and purchased by HP.

I did not encounter any issues with stability.

I did not encounter any issues with scalability.

We used different in-house solutions over 15 years ago. They didn’t have many options and someone in-house had to create and manage them.

This is a wonderful product with many options. We have never been disappointed by it.

The product is valuable generally due to its wide use and acceptance in the public sector in my region. The skills and knowledge are transferable.

Many associated products offer OTS integrations.

Some of the tools are useful for sharing information; however, organizational culture inhibits records management compliance and TRIM acceptance, in general, is low.

It has extensive configuration restrictions for administrators and file extension limitations.

Clunky in look and feel.

I have been using it for approximately seven years over different versions.

We had regular and different experiences related to user profiles and control over client product.

We have not had any scalability issues.

Support is good from a preferred vendor.

Our previous solution was outdated and non-compliant.

It was an easy installation.

Pricing is competitive.

We did not evaluate alternatives.

There are serious considerations of compliance for the product role. HPE TRIM has limitations beyond a document repository.