Quark/IBM to Bring DITA to the Masses

Quark and IBM Enterprise Content Management are to accelerate the adoption of XML by integrating Quark XML Author with IBM FileNet Content Manager.

By eliminating barriers previously associated with the creation of DITA-based XML, Quark makes it possible for any IBM FileNet Content Manager user working in Microsoft® Word to author intelligent content that can be reused and delivered to multiple channels or formats.

“In the past, XML authoring was designated for technical writers and IT personnel familiar with XML coding, or required business users to learn complex tools. Quark XML Author has changed the game entirely,” said Ken Bisconti, Vice President of Products and Strategy, IBM Enterprise Content Management.

The ability to author, manage, and reuse structured content enables critical business needs, such as managing intellectual property, complying with regulatory mandates, and automating business processes. A simple and streamlined process for XML authoring also allows organizations to:

* Enable enterprise-wide adoption of XML and DITA
* Capture and manage the knowledge of business users more effectively
* Increase the return on content management investments

“Quark’s goal is to move XML authoring from technical experts to non-technical business users and content owners, making it easier for enterprises to create and manage intelligent, structured content,” said Ray Schiavone, President and CEO of Quark.

Quark XML Author for Microsoft Word

Quark XML Author for Microsoft Word is an XML authoring tool that allows users to easily create XML content in a familiar word processing environment.

Quark XML Author enhances Microsoft Word’s native XML support by allowing users to create narrative XML documents directly — without seeing tags, being constrained to boxes, or being aware of the technical complexities associated with XML.

Equally important, Quark XML Author ensures that the content an author creates is constantly validated against the XML standard — eliminating the need to rework content at a later time.

About XML and DITA

To achieve consistency and avoid redundancy in technical documentation, technical writers adopted XML early to repurpose their content and manage complex documentation. XML became the de facto standard for structuring intelligent documents, with DITA emerging as the next step in complex document management.

DITA, the Darwin Information Typing Architecture, is an XML-based OASIS standard that enables the creation and management of re-usable content for complex documents.