I still get excited at each new Fast Track release of the Nuxeo Platform (and frankly looking at the roadmap, there is plenty to be excited in the future). I love that every 8-12 weeks we have brand new, cutting-edge capabilities to play with as we march to our next LTS in the fall. This Fast Track is no exception as it provides integration with files stored in Google Drive or Dropbox, secure Elasticsearch queries with built-in permission checks, better Branch Management and new options to store files locally or in the cloud. I’m going to talk for a bit about our new product, Nuxeo Live Connect, but be sure to check out the what’s new page to see the full list of what is part of this release.
Nuxeo Live Connect
Nuxeo Live Connect is very cool as it provides integration with cloud file sharing platforms. This allows the Nuxeo Platform to treat files in Google Drive and Dropbox as if they were part of the local file system or repository. Our customers can take advantage of the collaboration features of Google Drive and Dropbox and the business benefits of the Nuxeo Platform. By integrating assets residing in a file sharing platform with Nuxeo’s fluid, agile workflow system, the business value of the assets is multiplied, adding context to data in relation to company processes and daily tasks, informing decision-making, and driving more productive business operations.
Check out this demo video by Josh Fletcher to see how this could work for managing a product launch.
Even though file sharing providers like Google Drive and Dropbox has revolutionized the way people work together, traditionally, when you want to add it to your business process, it’s copy and paste or upload to your Enterprise Content Management system at the best. The business part, the information part hasn’t reacted. I have seen other attempts at integrating Google Drive and Dropbox, which come up very short by converting the file and moving it into a new file system (I have even seen demos of new buttons in Google Drive with a save button), but this totally misses the point. That is until Nuxeo Live Connect.
The first version of Nuxeo Live Connect offers support for Google Drive and Dropbox, literally treating these as if they are their own file system plus all of the benefits those platforms offer in terms of collaboration, sharing, and editing (with Google Drive you get access to native collaborative editing tools like Google Docs as well as an ecosystem of third party editors).
Using these apps, two or more users can collaborate on a given file - for example, a legal contract or a press release being readied for distribution - within the Nuxeo environment or outside of it while maintaining the approval workflow and publishing capabilities. In this manner, a wide variety of business processes can be integrated with the file sharing and storage capabilities of popular file sharing providers and made more efficient through intelligent automation.
Anywhere Files Meet Process
We recently presented a webinar with CMSWire where we talked about The New Collaboration Model as it pertains to ECM and the Nuxeo Platform. One of the topics I discussed was how to enable an Intelligent Workflow. For me this is one of the most important parts of Nuxeo Live Connect. Start including all of the work that is already being performed in file sharing platforms naturally into your business processes to dramatically increase the business value of that content.
Some examples of the integration:
- A contract approval process that progressively walks through each stage of the sign-off of contracts residing in Google Drive or Dropbox
- An application that manages the archiving and recovery of important documents stored with a file sharing provider to meet business continuity needs and comply with corporate best practices
- A systematic method of maintaining version control on a product diagram file stored on Google Drive where different groups—perhaps legal, engineering, field service and documentation—all require access to the evolving version of the file as it progresses through a Nuxeo-powered workflow process
With Nuxeo Live Connect, the Nuxeo Platform now adds a whole new level of business value anytime and anywhere Files (where individuals work and collaborate) meet Process (how organizations derive value from that work).
Download the latest version of the Nuxeo Platform to see Nuxeo Live Connect and the other new capabilities, such as our new Elasticsearch API.