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| iManage | Document Management |
| iManage has created a
sophisticated document-management product line that can handle millions of documents on
local and wide area networks. Since law firms live by documents, the iManage family is an
excellent choice for any firm that needs to track and manage its documents. The iManage product line is built on a 32-bit, three-tier client/server architecture. The first tier is the File Server where documents are stored; the SQL database, which stores information about the documents (e.g., profile fields); and the Full-text Index. The middle tier, the iManage Content Server, controls access to the documents and services users’ requests. The third tier contains the PCs that run iManage infoRite. There are several advantages to having the middle-tier content server. Only users access the middle tier; it obtains the document and passes it to the client PC. The middle tier functions as a firewall, since users have no rights to the document file server and cannot get documents through a “back door.” Because users don’t have a connection to the file server and SQL database, fault tolerance is built in. If there are network problems or a server goes down, users can continue to work on documents on their PCs because their only contact with the file server is when opening or closing documents. Finally, since client PCs don’t directly access the SQL database, you’ll need fewer SQL licenses and connections. With just a few SQL connections, the middle tier can service many users. The most common applications, including WordPerfect and Microsoft Office integrate with iManage’s infoRite. “Integration” means that iManage takes over file functions such as Open, Save, Save As, Close and Exit. On Open, for example, an iManage window allows you to open recently edited documents, search for a new document or open a document from outside iManage (though this can be disabled). For other applications, infoRite provides a non-integrated mode. Here, the functions of the program aren’t altered, although iManage will mark a document as checked out (preventing others from editing it) when opened. When the document is closed, iManage will check it back in. Support for Lexis-Nexis’CompareRite, FullAuthority, CiteRite and WestCheck is also provided by WestGroup. Standard document-management functions such as searching, versioning and tracking a document’s history are made possible by iManage’s infoRite. Full-text searching supports Boolean logic, wildcard characters, proximity searching, soundex searching, and word stem and substring searching. Profile and full-text searches can be saved, re-run and shared with other users. The program can be configured to show all versions of a document or just the most current one, and will warn you when opening an earlier version. The Document History feature tracks printed pages for those billing clients. Several advanced features are also available. Documents can be logically grouped into Project folders. They are handy for keeping all materials for a matter together. These folders can be private, public (shared with all), or particular users can be given access. You can do online searching with Lexis and West products, saving the results into an iManage database. And “roles” can limit document activities. For example, temporary secretaries can be prevented from deleting documents, or contractor attorneys from seeing any documents other than ones they are explicitly given access to. The iManage Portable allows users to work on documents even when their PCs aren’t connected to the network. Recently edited documents “echo” to local hard drives. This is useful when the network is down or for laptop users who work outside the office. Documents that are modified outside of the network automatically return to iManage when reconnecting in the office. The iManage product family has recently expanded. Two of the more exciting additions include infoLink and infoLook. The new infoLink is a Web portal that provides access to iManage databases via a Web browser, using active server page scripts on a Microsoft Internet information server. A very powerful program, it allows clients to collaborate on documents while managing those documents in iManage. Pages can be easily customized to include folders and saved searches, which are executed when the page is accessed and the results are displayed. Non-iManage data sources such as SQL databases and accounting systems can also be queried via infoLink. The Web pages are stored in XML but are created without programming via an HTML wizard. Attorneys can easily establish pages for their clients without the intervention of their systems administrator or IT staff. There are several layers of security in infoLink. Before they ever get to iManage, clients can be challenged at the firewall. Every user must be defined in iManage to access an infoLink Web page, and he or she can only see documents that are explicitly defined for the page by someone within the firm. By default, they have no rights to any other documents within iManage. On the Web page, a firm can individually control what a client can do with a document, including whether he or she can just view them, check them out or have full editing capability. Finally, infoLink supports Secure Sockets Layer to encrypt information between a server and its browser. Because iManage infoLook provides an iManage Neighborhood to Microsoft Outlook, users are given full document-management capability within their e-mail program. This integration allows e-mail to be saved by simply dragging it into an iManage database folder. The e-mail (and any attachments they may have) are stored in MIME format, so the mail can be retrieved from iManage and replied to. A rule-based processing which allows messages and/or attachments to be automatically routed to specific iManage folders based on their content, is also included with infoLook. When that new item arrives, infoLook can e-mail specific individuals with that news. Rules are currently client-based, but will move to server-based in a future release of infoLook. The iManage product line is an excellent choice for any law firm. Complete and easy-to-use document-management capabilities for familiar applications is provided by infoRite. Once documents are in an iManage database, they can be accessed from e-mail with infoLook and from the Web with infoLink. With iManage, sharing documents and collaborative work is just a few mouse clicks away. |
iManage Inc. (650) 356-1166 www.imanage.com Windows 95/98/NT Reviewed by Kenneth E. Johnson. Mr. Johnson has been in the Information Services Department at Mayer, Brown & Platt since 1992. He is also vice chair of the ABA Law Practice Management Computer and Technology Division, TECHSHOW 99 Webmaster, assistant editor of Network 2d, and speaks frequently at legal technology seminars. |
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