Resource Center
Content DSI offers white papers and other resources focusing on solutions to help your organization meet the challenges of key content concerns. Topics range from content creation to content management, publishing, and commerce.
Whitepapers
How Your Print Edition Can Benefit From A Digital Environment
Digital Publishing is one of the hottest topics in the publishing industry today. Vendors offer these online solutions at every price range, every format, and every style available. For the publishers, however, the question continues to arise on what to do with the print editions after going digital, what digital solution is best for their particular publication, and what items in a solution are necessary for fully functional and attractive digital editions?
This white paper explores the digital world, digital content delivery, and the arguments on both sides of the future of print. It helps publishers determine what they may need to consider for their publication, and options they may have for both the print and digital editions. This paper also explores a real-world example of a publisher who made digital work for them. 
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LineDrive - Designed to Solve the Unique Production Challenges of Directory Publishers
Abstract Market forces continue to pressure publishing enterprises to improve top- and bottom-line performance. For directory publishers, whose content ranges from compilations of information on business and industry to collections of public records, proprietary drug information, legal case results, or mailing lists, margins are often paper-thin. Achieving greater efficiency in processes that support advertising sales, page composition, as well as product development and distribution, is mandatory, not desirable.
This white paper introduces Content DSI's LineDrive Directory Software, a directory publishing solution that provides a comprehensive framework for the aggregation, validation, publishing, and syndication of directory content. It discusses the challenges many directory publishers face and how LineDrive addresses these issues. You will also view screenshots from the system, learn about how LineDrive can help you organize your content and create additional revenue on your publications, and read about a company who benefited from the directory publisher system. View PDF
Content Conversion Strategies for the Multi-Channel Publishing Environment
How to Avoid the Top Five Conversion Pitfalls
Multi-channel publishing has evolved from a "nice-to-have" capability to a business imperative. However, without an efficient means to repurpose content, publishers are seeing their production costs escalate to meet this market demand. They are recognizing that a media-neutral format such as XML would enable cost-effective content for re-use and delivery. But making the move successfully to solutions using this media-neutral format requires a carefully planned data conversion and implementation strategy.
This white paper describes several of the most challenging content conversion pitfalls and how to avoid them. You’ll learn about the strategies to reduce the cost and effort of delivering a well-populated XML-based content management system (CMS) to your users. The paper also explores cases of leading publishers to give you some real-world examples. View PDF
Publishers and XML: Cases of Real ROI
Recent economic conditions and heightened competition are causing publishers to focus on improving their bottom-line performance by streamlining current editorial and production processes. A closer look at internal processes has revealed two significant issues: Publishing approaches that have been in place for the last 10 to 20 years do not satisfy today's dynamic electronic publishing requirements—Web, PDA, and CD-ROM. Additionally, the manual processes that have dominated traditional publishing processes make production costly and inefficient when providing content to several output or delivery mediums.
While there are a number of ways publishers can tackle these concerns, this paper focuses on the advantages and key implementation considerations of adopting a media-neutral publishing approach using XML-enabled technology. This paper describes the similarities and differences between traditional publishing workflows and those using XML technology. In addition, it discusses the XML capabilities that were implemented to accomplish three leading publishers' objectives and the results they were able to attain. Cases highlight information that can be readily applied to many publishers' production environments. View PDF
Supply Chain Costs and the Link to Product Information Management
As manufacturers and distributors continue to seek ways to enhance supply chain efficiencies, reduce internal costs, and boost revenue-generating initiatives, the adoption of product information management (PIM) technology to standardize and manage product data is proving to have a dramatic impact on all fronts. Quality product data, with its associated supporting content, has become a key element of improving supply chain processes—and a strategic asset for every organization. But analysts report that organizations often overestimate the quality of their data. As a result, the impact that errors and inconsistencies have on their bottom line is underestimated as well.
How can manufacturers and distributors turn the tide? Participating in industry data warehouses helps manufacturers and distributors keep product data in sync. This paper explains how adopting PIM technology, such as a database-driven e-catalog system, enables companies to improve supply chain efficiencies and customer service, leading to direct impact on top- and bottom-line performance. Cases of three organizations are examined, showing the multiple ways these companies are leveraging their e-catalog repositories to reduce supply chain costs, support industry data exchange, and enhance their competitive positions. View PDF
Media Neutral vs. Print Centric Publishing
As publishers have faced the need to put their content online, many have moved away from their print-centric legacy publishing processes. By adopting media-neutral content management systems, they have found efficient methods to enable content reuse and support delivery through multiple output formats and channels. Others have remained stalwart in avoiding changes to their existing print processes, while integrating support for electronic media through other methods. Although this approach has minimized the disruption of their business while still extending their capabilities, it does not position them to adapt easily to future market demands as technology evolves.
Why does this division exist, and which way is best for specific types of publications? Is there a way to get the best of both worlds? This paper explores the considerations involved with implementing a media-neutral content management approach in contrast with the traditional print-centric process. It also describes a relatively new approach, "round-tripping,"
and examines the enabling technology that supports each method. This will help you evaluate which alternative is right for your company, and learn how you can reduce production costs and provide better support for online delivery. View PDF
Improve Your Web Sales Channel with Unified Content
Content management may not be the most glamorous side of Web site maintenance, but it can make or break your ability to achieve ongoing customer loyalty and dramatically affect your revenue stream. Customers want access to your company 24 hours a day—they want to obtain product specifications, download schematics or illustrations, check order status, review account balances…immediately. And if you can’t provide this level of service, they will find a supplier who can.
Clearly, content has become a key element of e-commerce success. Why are manufacturers struggling with providing the content users want? This paper explores how a unified content approach can be the answer for improving your ability to deliver vital content in the format and timing customers need. This approach provides greater customer satisfaction that results in better top- and bottom-line performance. View PDF
Key Issues to Consider in Implementing E-Business
Companies can no longer afford to side-step the Web but e-business requires far more than a Web server, a storefront, and transaction processor or a database. A comprehensive, formal systems approach is necessary because the infrastructure to support e-business often requires complex, large-scale systems with demanding requirements for performance, scalability, and availability.
A guide to preparing your business for e-business, this paper focuses on the primary challenges associated with implementing an e-business system and the seven top factors contributing to a successful solution. A free analysis tool is included to help you assess and prioritize your e-business goals, identify the priorities of the capabilities you desire, and identify the timeframe in which you envision implementing an e-business solution. View PDF
Research Reports
Forrester Cites Content DSI
In a recent Forrester Research, Inc. report, Enterprise Content Management Delusions, John Dalton explains that the percentage of the market willing to invest seriously for content management systems is also the group with the highest concentration of complex needs. These firms will invest heavily in customization and make a strong commitment to human support, including skills refinement and process re-engineering. They'll turn for help to lead vendors and systems integrators with data management expertise like IBM, J.D. Edwards, Content Data Solutions, Inc., and KPMG Consulting. Go to www.forrester.com for more information.