Great news. More “core” ECM players are partnering with Microsoft to provide the best integrated ECM solution for clients. Recently also Opentext did a similar anouncement …
Hummingbird Announces Strategic Relationship with Microsoft and Delivers Enhanced Out-of-the-Box Integration and High Value Enterprise Content Management Lifecycle Solutions on the Microsoft Platform …
…Hummingbird Ltd. (NASDAQ: HUMC, TSX: HUM), a leading global provider of integrated enterprise content management (ECM) and network connectivity solutions, and a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, today announced an enhanced strategic relationship with Microsoft and its plans to deliver innovative technology integrations with the scalability and functionality of Hummingbird Enterprise™ on the Microsoft platform.
Hummingbird solutions on the Microsoft platform enable customers to:
- implement high value, line-of-business solutions that address critical business processes relating to the management of content;
- reduce the complexities and risks associated with managing content;
- transform the Microsoft Windows-based desktop into a solutions enablement platform without requiring users to leave the familiar user interface; and
- preserve and maximize the value of Microsoft IT investments and reduce the total cost of ownership of these solutions. …
… Adoption of enterprise content management solutions is dependent on ease of deployment, reduced overall cost of ownership, scalability and usability. Customers will amortize the cost of investments across multiple projects using the same underlying Microsoft and Hummingbird integration, with particular emphasis on:
- Intuitive access to Hummingbird Enterprise through Outlook, SharePoint Portal Server, Office, and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
- Native support for Microsoft SQL Server 2005.
- Continued commitment to the Microsoft .NET strategy.
- Early support of the next release of Microsoft Office products code-named Microsoft Office “12.”
- Continued innovation relating to performance and scalability such as Hummingbird Content Drive™, a unique innovation that provides kernel level integration between the Microsoft desktop and the Hummingbird Enterprise repository, resulting in significantly reduced file transfer times and the ability to natively support complex linked documents such as Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheets.
“In addition to developing solutions on the Office platform, Hummingbird has embraced Microsoft .NET which enables us to deliver integrated applications more quickly and cost effectively and better meet the needs of our customers,” added Litwin. …
Read the whole press release over on : Hummingbird.com
I posted a similar comment a while back – does this announcement then mean that Microsoft does not have an ECM solution. If it has to partner with one then presumably it does not.
Though I hear very positive things about Sharepoint ECM coming in late 06/07 – what does this announcement mean?
Why would an ECM vendor lock itself into a rivals infrastructure. Presumably to roll out vertical specific options on top of, or precursor to acquisition?????
Alan,
Good question.
I recently posted a whitepaper oulining the Microsoft vision regarding ECM.
http://www.peterdehaas.com/2005/12/microsoft_enter.html . Hopefully this clarifies some of the movements Microsoft and its partners make.
Unfortunatly I can not comment on the new SharePoint release yet. You will certainly see more of this in the coming months, so keep on reading my blog 🙂
In my personal opinion this announcement (and other related announcements such as opentext’s) mean that they see Microsoft providing the underlying platform (user management, basic document collaboration and ECM functions) and they tehmselves provide the extended / vertical market related capabilities.
I think some of the ECM functions are very rapidly becoming a commodity instead of a specialty. Microsoft is very much in the commoditising business when it comes to software. This causes a shift in the ISV solutions as well and directs some of the “best of breed” products to align themselves more with certain platform. .NET and the Microsoft platform in general provide a viable option for many ISV’s …
As I see it, the solution provided by Hummingbird and others today can be quite complicated when it comes to fucntionality provided vs required / integration with underlying platform / knowledge required by the end users. The integration with the Microsoft platform is an accelerator instead of a competitive thread; its speeds the implementation and user adoption while it leverages the expertise of the ISV.