Can Web 2.0 Evolve Into an Enterprise Technology? - SaaS - Network Computing
Hathaway started using wikis four years ago to manage the IT department’s internal documentation, but soon saw that the same technology could be more widely applicable. “The work itself was becoming more collaborative, but the tools had not.” In 2005, he decided to roll out TWiki, a popular enterprise wiki whose other users include Disney, Yahoo and British Telecom.

It was a decision Hathaway came to regret in fairly short order.

The problem was that TWiki couldn’t easily share data with Alfresco, the bank’s open-source CMS. Users who needed information had to look in both, while those adding documents risked duplicating effort. The bank didn’t want to give up on either, so Hathaway turned instead to Deki Wiki, which is also open-source but backed by a commercial vendor, MindTouch. Its biggest advantage is that its Web services API eases integration with other applications.

“It means a Google map can show up on a Deki page, and we’re building an uber-search,” he says. “In my ideal setup, Deki would be a front-end to Alfresco.” The API also lets the wiki use the bank’s existing security architecture to limit user access to specific pages, important for preserving the Chinese wall between analysis and sales.

According to Hathaway, the wiki is now providing a real ROI.

Unlike other single-use or personal use wikis, the Deki Wiki platform, is delivering real ROI to the enterprise. The use case Hathaway outlines is becoming increasingly more common. Deki Wiki is being used as an interface to other applications, most commonly legacy, or as an aggregation point for multiple databases and applications. Deki Wiki’s ability to mashup, adherence to standards (no data lock-in), and complete API, is delivering real value to the enterprise not evidenced by other wiki applications.

Andy Dornan, the author of this piece, also provides some coverage of QEDWiki, describing it as a mashup platform. I’m not certain he realized he was also describing Deki Wiki. The difference between QED and Deki Wiki is that Deki Wiki is: more usable, more easily extended (REST vs. SOAP), has a more robust API, is open source, has a larger and more active community, has a larger install base and a higher rate of adoption.

Hathaway addresses a very important point in this article. Deki Wiki can provide a bridge to multiple applications and data stores. All other wikis are creating just another independent data silo that has to be managed and mined. These wiki data silos will eventually become a problem because the data is stored in a non-standard and non-reusable format (wikitext) and, most often, there is no enterprise search tool to mine it with. Choose wisely when selecting your wiki. Any discerning evaluator will conclude: Deki Wiki is the only appropriate choice.

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