Thriving Mid-Market For Enterprise Content Management

Despite predictions of Microsoft dominance, mid-market Enterprise Content Management (ECM) vendors have become stronger and more diverse going into 2009, according to research from CMS Watch, an independent analyst firm that evaluates content technologies.

“ECM mid-market technology buyers have almost an embarrassment of choices now,” notes Alan Pelz-Sharpe, lead analyst for the report. “The market is rife with products, while prices are trending downward – both good news for customers,” adds Pelz-Sharpe.

In its most recent research, CMS Watch evaluated 30 leading ECM vendors from around the globe and found a thriving mid-market.

Observations:

- Many mid-tier vendors are transitioning to services-oriented approaches to interoperate with infrastructure players like IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle – often in the context of offering industry-specific modules. For example, open source vendors such as Nuxeo and Alfresco, along with commercial vendor Objective, may appeal to those buyers who don’t want to deal with a behemoth vendor but still seek a platform approach to ECM.

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- Far from killing the mid-market, SharePoint has educated many more buyers to the need for ECM, amid growing awareness that Microsoft lacks key capabilities in the areas of Imaging, Capture, and Retention. Along with many other vendors, Laserfiche has expanded its imaging and process solutions for SharePoint, while Autonomy’s Meridio offering may appeal to buyers seeking federated compliance capabilities for complex SharePoint environments.

- Marketplaces beyond North America are witnessing the arrival and expansion of vendors addressing local and regional needs. NewGen in India continues to grow, as does InfoGrid in East Asia, EVER in France, and Saperion in Germany.

This analysis stems from research CMS Watch conducted for its recently released ‘ECM Suites Report 2009’, which evaluates ECM solutions head-to-head.

The ECM Suites Report 2009 provides a comprehensive overview of ECM products and best practices, including updated evaluations. The Report is available for purchase online from CMS Watch ( http://www.cmswatch.com)