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PROCESS TO PRODUCT:
CREATING TOOLS FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

6. TECHNICAL ISSUES

Technology systems, such as that required for knowledge management, require a wide range of features and levels of sophistication that software publishers to date have addressed only in part. New, advanced systems will need to address issues such as agent technology, encryption, pattern recognition, biologic models, replication, personalization, localization, collaborative filtering, natural language, Bayesian analysis, object-oriented structures, and other methods of electronic information management. Many of these functions will require maintenance and upgrade on a regular basis as scientific discoveries progress.

Software currently being designed or in use today addresses many of the issues of knowledge management. Ranging from search engines to automated data mining, they all work in some degree but none encompasses more than a few of the features needed for a complete knowledge management solution. Shown below are some of the most prevalent technical features addressed in most of todayís products:

1. Storage structures or databases ñ some products take the approach of providing only metadata while others attempt to codify and store all information.
   
2. Interface architectures including user-configurable tools ñ the majority of products currently in use are targeted to specific user populations, require a great deal of training to use, and yield a variety of results based on their setup and configuration.
   
3. Libraries for intelligence and linking structures ñ this is one of the greatest areas of weakness that is found in existing architectures. no product was found that was able to link to all electronic information sources needed by a corporation due to the disparate nature of various systems.
   
4. External relationship features ñ most products operate as stand-alone applications to serve the needs within an organization. Even those that provide links to the Internet do so in such as manner that information is ìpulledî but not shared.
   
5. Specific features vary greatly from product to product ñ the are no features found in common in all products, other than search engines, but much of the differentiation appears to be from targeting of different market segments or assumptions about the needs of users.

In addition to the features found in knowledge management products, implementation issues were also studies. While new and improved functionality will certainly be an element of knowledge management software, there will also certainly be demand to reduce the complexity and costs of support. This will require creative approaches to development of technologies for both the near, and distant, future.

Existing non-computer information will also need to be codified and included within knowledge management systems. Whether the information is stored in paper based systems, distributed over the airwaves (television and radio), or through social interaction, provisions for these knowledge types should also be considered. It may be expected that some degree of integration might result from the synergies between computing, telecommunications, and video industry companies. The ongoing convergence of these industries both through alliances and mergers helps to accelerate this scenario. Not only can improved solutions be expected from within traditional industries, new technologies can be expected from companies that have not yet even been formed.