Ilumina from Verano (share, protect, discover and manage distributed corporate knowledge)
Platforms: Windows NT, Solaris
Price: begins at $50,000 for up to 500 users and 5 servers
URL: http://www.verano.com

Eenterprise software that allows business professionals to protect, share, discover and manage unstructured corporate information -- regardless of where it's located or in which application it was created -- via any browser.

Iluminar is context management software that adds rich context -- such as expiration date, author, project name or industry segment -- to each document, so users can easily find relevant information without needing to know where the document is located or in which application it was created. The context, also known as metadata, contains access privileges and enables each document to be encrypted, creating a secure, searchable environment where only authorized users can find and open documents. Unlike database-centric solutions, Iluminar is architected to be highly distributed. This allows Iluminar to be quickly deployed when and where it is needed, to adapt easily to changing requirements and to provide access to all unstructured information in the enterprise.

At Iluminar's core is Verano's patent-pending OpenWrap(TM) technology, providing a platform-independent framework for knowledge sharing. OpenWrap adds context, or metadata, to each document, regardless of data type or application. It automatically captures information about the document such as author, creation date and full-text index. Authors may also define additional context information including access privileges or project name. By creating intelligent content packages, the OpenWrap technology effectively breaks down the barriers between people and information, without forcing organizations to change the way they work. Share. By dragging-and-dropping a document onto the Iluminar desktop icon, Iluminar immediately makes information available on a corporate intranet or network. Users are encouraged to share information because Iluminar is easy to use and allows them to maintain control of the information. They can create and manage documents, determine access, add other searchable context such as project name or expiration date, and control interactions.

• Protect: By combining access privileges with the content and encrypting it, Iluminar prevents unauthorized individuals from inside, as well as outside the company, from viewing sensitive information. This feature also allows information seekers to use Iluminar's powerful discovery methods to find all the relevant information they are authorized to view. And, since access control is attached to each package, items are always protected, even if moved to another network system.

• Discover: Once the context is captured, co-workers use Iluminar's discover function to easily find specific and relevant documents anywhere on the network, created in any application. Iluminar does not centralize information and instead mirrors the distributed enterprise and the unstructured way that people work.

• Easy to Use and Manage: Corporate information can be quickly added to the Iluminar system via simple drag-and-drop, eliminating the need for a dedicated person to structure, format and move information into a complex information management system. Iluminar's server component plugs into a company's existing Web server(s) so Iluminar can be added incrementally, department-by-department or office-by-office. Its easy-to-use management functions also allow IS to define and control access privileges and redefine the system as the company evolves. For example, the daunting task of finding all the information controlled by an individual who is leaving the company and transferring responsibility for these documents to someone else can be accomplished using Iluminar by a simple global edit of the metadata.

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