For product or technical information, a large number of global organizations are moving to a structured authoring process enabled by an XML standard called DITA. Structured authoring refers to the process of writing content in components or topics that can be easily repurposed across multiple publications (PDF, Help, Web) and across a global organization. DITA (an acronym for "Darwin Information Typing Architecture") is an XML standard and methodology that is accelerating the adoption of structured authoring processes.
DITA-based structured authoring has significant proven benefits for efficiency, costs and business agility.
Cost and efficiency benefits
Organizations that have moved to DITA-based structured authoring report efficiency gains and cost reductions by as much as 30-50% across the information development lifecycle. Benefits can include:
Business agility benefits
Many organizations are moving to structured authoring and DITA for the business agility they achieve even more than for the business cost benefits. Agility benefits include:
SDL XySoft is the worldwide leader in Component Content Management Systems with software that supports DITA out-of-the-box, accelerating the transition to DITA and single-sourcing for global companies of all sizes.
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This case study tells the story of how and why NetApp, a $3.3 billion high-tech company and voted number 1 in Fortune’s “Best Companies to Work for”, chose to adopt the DITA standard and global authoring practices for the production of technical information.