As users of e-mail, desktop productivity applications, collaboration tools and other information generation and management capabilities, we create lots of content and we have lots of difficulty finding it when we need it. A key part of that difficulty is based on the fact that we use different silos of information that often maintain separate data stores, different interfaces and the like. More importantly, however, many tools are not designed to present data in the way that we need it.

PointCross has developed the Unified Business Information System (UBIS) to address this problem. UBIS is designed to organize both structured and unstructured content in a more useful context – by topic, project, etc. Using the company’s relational taxonomy system, UBIS will integrate content into meaningful relationships that are designed to present needed information to team members. The goal is to make finding data more efficient so that users spend less time looking for it, and so that the risk of not finding necessary data is reduced.

UBIS is based on Orchestra, PointCross’ system for managing various types of data; and Solo, a tool that replicates content to a server and then to users’ desktop and laptop machines, as well as to mobile devices. The system is designed to present the appropriate data to users in a useful context, organized by project or in some other meaningful way. Users can access the data from an Orchestra portal or through the Solo client, but also through Outlook, SharePoint or an SAP portal.

Clearly, there is a significant business benefit to having the right data available in a single location. However, UBIS also provides important IT benefits, as well, including single-instance storage, encrypted communications, centralized control of information management, the ability to protect against the loss of content if a laptop or mobile device is lost, and more efficient e-discovery.

For improving information management, particularly in larger and/or information-intensive organizations, UBIS is worth a serious look.

Michael Osterman is principal analyst of Osterman Research.