Alfresco Proof of Concept
The issues you may be facing
When companies or organisations are looking to make a technology selection, it is a common step to implement the proposed system within the internal domain, configuring and integrating the system to work with live content, and allowing staff and stakeholders the chance to ‘dry run’ the proposed system.
However, this typically needs to be achieved before the project/and or technology purchase can be given the go ahead. Therefore freeing up resources and funds can be a challenging task. Equally, it is often the case that the nominated IT staff has to achieve all of this alongside their day to day jobs.
Alfresco is a feature rich, multi-functional enterprise content management product. You have multiple stakeholders with differing requirements and you want to make the most of the free 30 day enterprise trial period. You need to efficiently determine whether Alfresco is going to achieve everything you need it to achieve, and to obtain a clear and unambiguous view on its strengths and weaknesses when considering your own specific requirements.
Introducing the Alfresco Proof of Concept
Ixxus is the leading Alfresco systems integration partner in the UK. The Ixxus consultants have designed and implemented hundreds of Alfresco Proof of Concepts, helping a wide range of disparate companies and organisations evaluate Alfresco against their own specific requirements.
As a result, we have developed a lot of additional functionality and code to allow us to rapidly and efficiently implement a strong and robust instance of Alfresco on site, deployed within a clients own domain.
A senior Ixxus consultant will be allocated to your Proof of Concept for 10 days, in which time we will deliver a conceptual build of an Alfresco system.
A typical engagement will normally start with the consultant reviewing your functional requirements with you, and even spending time interviewing stakeholders to get a greater understanding of the requirements within your organisation. With a wealth of experience to hand, the consultant can help you clarify your thinking in relation to what you wish to achieve, providing advice on how other implementations of Alfresco have solved certain problems, and suggesting different approaches to common challenges.
The consultant will be able to suggest possible solutions and discuss your views and feedback directly with you, before commencing with the design and build of the system – illustrating how each area of functionality will be handled by Alfresco.
Please note – to get the most out of your Proof of Concept, it is useful if you have created a document outlining your requirements before the Proof of Concept commences. This does not need to be extensive but rather a gathering of the requirements, hopes and expectations of the various stakeholders within the organisation.
Typical activities to expect
- Workflow, e.g. document review, electronic mailroom, accounts payable, invoice approval, publishing
- Content Model
- Customised User Interface
- Sample data migration
- Back Office integration
- Search
- Permissions
- Scanning
- Network Drive configuration
- Business processes
- Classification
- Collaboration
The consultant will typically deliver two comprehensive demonstrations of the Proof of Concept. The first at the end of week one (allowing adaption and feedback to be incorporated), and the second at the end of the two weeks – showing users everything that has been built.
The intention of the Proof of Concept is not to deliver a production level solution. It is rather to demonstrate that Alfresco can deliver the functionality required in a way that is usable within the organisation. However, it is worth noting that key elements of the Proof of Concept may be usable within the deployment of a live production system, should you decide to go ahead.
The benefits
The Alfresco Proof of Concept will deliver a whole range of benefits to you as an organisation:
- Deliver a fast, rapid and yet comprehensive evaluation of Alfresco, specifically evaluating the technology against your own needs and requirements.
- Minimise impact on your internal resources.
- Increase your knowledge and understanding as to what Alfresco is capable of, and how it will benefit you as a company.
- Ensure that you achieve ‘buy in’ from all of your stakeholders, allowing them the chance to work with the proposed system and provide their considered views before any decision are made.
- Ensure that you have the best possible experienced advice up front, from consultants who have real world experience of implementing Alfresco into commercial environments, before making a decision.
The Price
The complete Alfresco Proof of Concept will be provided for a fixed fee of £9995 ex VAT, plus any required travel and accommodation expenses (these will be confirmed with you before commencing). The Alfresco Proof of Concept is based on utilising the free 30 day download of the Alfresco Enterprise trial.
For more information, please contact Steve Odart on +44 207 033 2333 or email steve.odart@ixxus.com.
Ixxus is an established and experienced London based consultancy and systems integration organisation. We specialise in the design, development and operational support of enterprise content management and search solutions, with a modern and innovative approach to project delivery.
