Automating Your Business

The IBM Community Festival stretches into its second week with another User Group Day. For Business Automation, it’s a chance for the venerable ECM Metropolitan User Group (EMUG) to gather and continue its mission of spreading best practices amongst members.  Join them on Tuesday, November 16 at 10:30 AM ET for a much-needed get together, with the added benefit of hearing a story from the front lines of Digital Transformation.

If you’re located anywhere near the Tri-State area (NY, NJ and CT), you really must stop by. Even more importantly, if you’re thinking of moving your ECM platform to the new world of cloud and AI, this session will share lessons learned at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in how to prepare for it. All are welcome to join in the conversation. 

I met with EMUG president Paul Cortellesi in New York City recently to discuss the challenges facing user groups during the pandemic. Paul has been overseeing IBM Content Management solutions for more than 30 years; he’s been a member of EMUG for more than 10 years and the group president for 5. He understands how valuable user groups are, because they connect people who share a goal of getting the most out of complex enterprise software. In fact, Paul is so dedicated to that connection that he has been named a Lifetime IBM Champion, a rare honor that recognizes his commitment and expertise.

“EMUG always had a Fall get together in New York City,” he recalls. “We would gather at a company site for a day full of client, Business Partner and IBM presentations and roundtables, and then we’d convene at a local watering hole for more explorations. It was always one of my favorite events of the year. Alas, this is the second year in a row that we are not able to get together.”

        EMUG President Paul Cortellesi in his natural habitat.

Paul’s disappointment is shared by nearly every user group I’ve spoken with lately. It’s been exceedingly difficult to feel relevant when the main activity – getting together – has been cut off.  User Group Day is meant to fill the gap virtually and give user groups a chance to start talking about getting together in 2022.

There is an African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This sums up Paul’s attitude about the power of collective learning. “I’ve always benefited from talking with other people who are using the same software I’m using, trying to solve the same kinds of problems I’m solving,” he says. “That’s what we’re trying to do at EMUG.”

Showing how it’s done, Paul and enChoice’s Gene Stakhov will present a session about an essential aspect of modernizing an ECM platform to take advantage of Cloud an artificial intelligence: Updating the taxonomy to one that more flexibly incorporates much more flexibility.  Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) is moving to the IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation and they needed to make some changes ahead of time.  This session, titled "Rebuilding Your Content Taxonomy for AI and Cloud-Readiness," will take you on their journey so you can plan your own.

Do drop by.  Register for the Community Festival by joining IBM ExpertTV here and then make plans to join us on Tuesday at 10:30 AM.