The core architecture of a content archiving solution is the critical differentiator from product to product. The level of performance, scalability, redundancy and the overall functionality of a product rest squarely upon the strength of its architecture. Features and functionality from one vendor to another often seem to blur together but it is the core product architecture that determines the usability and viability of those features. Furthermore, needs and requirements will evolve, new data formats will be created, new regulations will be mandated and options like redundancy, business continuity and disaster recovery may become necessities. The importance of the product architecture should never be underestimated.

Solutions based on old product architecture designs will not be able to grow with your organization’s evolving requirements, let alone handle the requirements of today. Locking yourself into a 1990’s style architecture can have real ramifications. The architecture really does matter.

You’ve heard the pitch before; we are so and so, we have so many employees and so much revenue and have been around forever…so buy our product. Slick demos and proof of concepts rarely indicate the true degree of complexity of these products.

Today the stakes are much too high to make the wrong choice. The old adage about playing it safe and buying the big brand could actually be a career limiting or ending proposition. Requirements have changed and locking your corporate data into old 1990’s based product architectures leave a lot to be desired in terms of scalability, performance and ongoing maintenance. It’s really no surprise, as many of these big name products were designed in the late 1990’s when regulatory compliance, E-Discovery and massive volumes of ESI were not part of their plan.