TrustRadius Insights
Users have found that aka, a versatile data governance software, provides valuable solutions to various challenges in managing information …
Overview
What is a.k.a.?
The a.k.a.® software, developed by Synercon Management Consulting Pty Ltd, is an information governance platform that aims to meet the needs of records and information management professionals, information governance professionals, data management professionals, compliance officers, and archivists. This...
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Product Details
- About
- Tech Details
What is a.k.a.?
The a.k.a.® software, developed by Synercon Management Consulting Pty Ltd, is an information governance platform that aims to meet the needs of records and information management professionals, information governance professionals, data management professionals, compliance officers, and archivists. This software solution offers a range of features designed to effectively manage and govern information assets across various industries.
Key Features
Describing information assets: According to the vendor, this feature provides tools such as Metadata Registries, Taxonomies, Thesauri, Controlled Vocabularies, and Glossaries to standardize and manage metadata, promoting data governance and consistency in metadata application.
Finding Information Assets: The software offers Taxonomies for Search, Faceted Classification Schemes, Folksonomies, Thesauri, and Ontologies to enhance search capabilities. Additionally, it includes semantic search tools that aim to organize information and improve search results.
Organizing information assets: Users can utilize Information Architectures, Business Classification Schemes, Hierarchies, File Plans, and Data Maps to structure and organize information effectively. The software provides tools to support the development of information architecture frameworks.
Managing information assets: The software includes features such as Records Inventories, Information Asset Registers, Legislation Schedules, Retention Schedules, and Vital Records Registers, which aim to assist users in managing the lifecycle of information assets. These features help ensure proper information asset management and compliance with legislation.
System independent: According to the vendor, the software allows for seamless exchange of schemes and metadata with any information system. It supports various data exchange formats such as XML, RDF, CSV, and TXT, enabling integration with different systems through API.
Available in the Cloud: Users can easily deploy the software through a URL, eliminating the need for onsite installation and maintenance. The vendor offers a pay-as-you-go subscription model, providing flexible access and cost control.
Scalable licensing: The software offers licensing models designed to accommodate changing requirements. Users have the ability to scale up or down based on their needs, with flexibility in licensing options for different usage scenarios.
Easy to Use: The software features a non-technical user-friendly interface, allowing non-specialists to develop complex structures without IT support. According to the vendor, this feature simplifies the process of building information systems.
Enduring: The software aims to manage both current and legacy data simultaneously. It aims to ensure long-term governance and compatibility with evolving needs, supporting the maintenance of an information governance framework throughout its lifespan.
Supported: The software is backed by a team of experienced information governance professionals, providing dedicated support for users. According to the vendor, it aims to simplify the complexity of managing records and information.
Sharing and exchanging data: The software supports information interoperability, enabling standardization and control of data and information assets. Users can build and deploy various schemes to facilitate effective data sharing and transfer.
a.k.a. Features
- Supported: Access Controls/Permissions
- Supported: Data Discovery
- Supported: Data Mapping
- Supported: Deletion Management
- Supported: Policy Management
- Supported: Role-Based Permissions
a.k.a. Technical Details
| Deployment Types | Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Web-Based, Windows |
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Community Insights
TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
- Business Problems Solved
- Pros
- Cons
Users have found that aka, a versatile data governance software, provides valuable solutions to various challenges in managing information assets. One key use case of aka is its ability to ensure effective communication and streamline information across different systems. Users appreciate the software's capability to develop retention and disposal authorities, metadata schemes, file plans, records retention schedules, thesauri, and information asset registers. This functionality allows organizations to maintain consistency in metadata and taxonomies throughout their systems.
Another important use case is the ability of aka to connect disparate datasets and create independent information sources. By doing so, users can gain a better understanding of their information assets and leverage their value. This feature has proven invaluable for consulting practices providing information governance, information management, and records management advice and services. Additionally, the cloud-based nature of aka makes it intuitive and facilitates more functionality and documentation extraction and publishing when compared to other similar tools.
Although the flexibility of aka is often praised by users, some find that the design part can take some time to learn. However, subscribers are encouraged to invest in the education and training offered by aka to fully utilize its capabilities. While the software may not be the simplest to use initially, users have reported that it becomes easy to use once they become familiar with it. The excellent support provided by Synercon, the company behind aka, has also been highly appreciated by users who have praised their willingness to find solutions to any problems.
In summary, aka offers a range of use cases for organizations involved in data governance and information management. It provides solutions for ensuring effective communication between systems, developing essential authorities and schemes, maintaining consistency in metadata and taxonomies, connecting disparate datasets for a better understanding of information assets, and facilitating documentation extraction and publishing. While there may be a learning curve initially, users have found that with proper training and support from Synercon, aka becomes an invaluable tool for managing valuable information assets.
Strong Values and Commitment to Standards: Several users have praised the company for its strong values and clear commitment to improving industry-wide standards for information governance. This demonstrates that the organization is dedicated to ensuring data security and compliance, which instills trust in customers.
Robustness of Software: Many reviewers have expressed their appreciation for the robustness of the software. It has been able to handle complex tasks effectively and consistently provide reliable results. This reliability contributes to increased efficiency and productivity for users.
Experience and Dedication to Automation: Customers highly value the organization's experience and dedication to automation. This expertise has led to simplifying processes, making them more streamlined, and enabling easy access to relevant information. Users benefit from this by saving time and effort in managing their data effectively.
Difficult to Use: Some users have found the software difficult to use, particularly in the early stages. They have expressed that it requires a learning curve and may not be as intuitive as other options available in the market.
Lack of Intuitiveness: Several reviewers have mentioned that the software lacks intuitiveness compared to its competitors. They feel that it could be more user-friendly and require less effort to navigate and understand its features.
Need for Improved User Interface: Users have suggested that the user interface of the software could benefit from improvements. They believe that enhancing the design and layout would make it easier for them to interact with the software and accomplish their tasks more efficiently.