## 1.1 Introduction 

## 1.2 IBM Softlayer 

An ECM solution might consist of multiple components to achieve the many objectives of an enterprise. To build such a solution, you might install and configure multiple products, integrate them together, and implement the solution across these products and components. 

There are many products in the IBM ECM portfolio that provide a variety of functions and capabilities for an ECM solution. This book describes building a generic ECM solution from end-to-end using these IBM ECM products. 

This chapter provides a high-level description of the products involved in the ECM solution. The installation, configuration, and integration of these products were first performed on a traditional system. We implement the ECM solution with multiple stages, each adding additional functionalities. The solution building process is then repeated on IBM SoftLayer, the platform that we advise and encourage you to use to build your ECM solution. 

You do not need to install and implement all of the products described in this solution. We select to integrate these IBM ECM products for our solution because we want to highlight these products, and show how they can be integrated together to provide the powerful functionalities that your business might need. Based on your business requirements, you can selectively install, configure, and integrate these products for your own ECM solution. 

The solution-building process provided in this book serves as a learning guideline for a proof of concept (PoC) and proof of technology environment. It is beyond the scope of this book to provide a definitive guide for implementing a production ECM solution. 

IBM SoftLayer provides a high-performing cloud infrastructure. Data centers around the world use IBM SoftLayer to run solutions and services. For more information about IBM SoftLayer, refer to Chapter 3, “Building a cloud-based ECM solution with IBM SoftLayer” on page 21. 

