Age of the Cloud and its documentation challenges

With the advent of cloud the scope of documentation is geared for a change. The expectation of the readers in regard to accessing documentation for applications has made a quantum shift. This information is expected to be online with an emphasis on real time availability for new versions of the applications. The documentation and information mapping styles have developed quite a lot to cater to the new readers who are technologically more advanced today.

Readers expect information to be available on any device that can connect to the internet, be it computers, tablets, mobiles or any other gadgets that are or will be available. They expect the information to be presented in a modular form that is searchable. Context sensitive help and information mapping with bread crumbs are sought after in documentation for application deployed as services on the cloud.

For documentation experts the challenge lies in presenting their readers the exact information in the most scannable form so that assimilation of information is quick. Graphical and tabular representation of content is resorted to whenever possible. Information is broken down into the smallest possible modular level so that data search is exact, if the search is made through appropriate keywords.

Today content management systems employ various rule engines to help the user access the data searched for quickly. These content management systems are faced with a growing challenge of maintaining data security. Information must be shared with the user according to the priviledge rights of the user, thus information exchange may resort to encryption to protect sensitive data.

With the fast paced changes happening today, documentation is already moving into audio-visual content and soon manuals will be the second option for dissipating information.