Open Text releases Oracle application compatibility tools

Last week, Open Text [1] announced some new tools to make it easier for companies using both Open Text content management tools and Oracle [2] applications to work together, including a new content access product and an upgrade to the accounts payable solution. On the face of it, this announcement may seem like a case of strange bedfellows, but it actually provides a way to manage the structured and unstructured data found in any organization.

Open Text Content Access for Oracle is a new application that provides a way to organize and manage content from both Open Text and Oracle and deal with the document management requirements required because of regulation or company policy. Meanwhile the accounts payable application provides a way to manage this type of financial data and deal with the procurement to pay cycle. This is actually version 3.0 of this application and according to Open Text it:

"Leverages Oracle Fusion Middleware to integrate into the Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise, and Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. Key capabilities include invoice routing and approval, invoice management, document and data capture, workflow management, content storage, and process reporting."

Rich Buchheim, Vice President of Oracle Solutions at Open Text, says the fact that Open Text works together with Oracle (which itself has a content management solution), is not contradictory at all, and that his company works with several major vendors in this fashion. "Enterprises today are inherently heterogeneous. Open Text provides better access to content from across the enterprise. As the largest independent provider of ECM, Open Text has the significant advantage of being able to provide tight integration with all the leading enterprise platforms including Oracle, SAP and Microsoft."

He adds that these tools are built using Oracle's tool set making them unique in the Open Text family solutions. "In contrast to other offerings, Open Text ECM offerings for Oracle are built on Oracle’s SOA and Fusion Middleware and offer the highest level of integration with Oracle applications available on the market today. The new applications Open Text is delivering are enterprise-caliber applications deployable today that also provide investment protection for the future."

Open Text obviously thinks highly enough of the relationship with Oracle to have a division with a VP devoted to it. So in spite of the fact that the two companies compete in the ECM space, it doesn't stop them from working together when it suits both company's needs.

For more information:
- see the Open Text press release [3]