Comments on: The Forrester Wave Report, ECM Suites Q4 2007

By: Pie

Pie — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:11:52 +0000

Kathy, that really depends. For larger organizations, I would say that WCM is an essential part of the entire ECM strategy. However, Documentum’s WCM offering is not leading the way. For smaller companies whose needs are focused purely on WCM, I would focus on pure-play WCM vendors. Only when an organizations requirement also need collaboration, Retention, and other Content Management Applicaitons do players like EMC and IBM come into play.

One day, hopefully, the WCM Content Applications will be able to plug into Documentum or their own repository. I’d like to see those layers separate.

By: KMcShea

KMcShea — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:13:33 +0000

In your view is Documentum a serious solution for Web Content Management, or as Tom Byrne sez over at CMS Watch is WCM distinct from ECM?

By: Joe Bachana

Joe Bachana — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 06:53:41 +0000

Thanks for the courage to post this. I know of two different organizations that based their purchase decisions principally on the Forrester Report you cite above.

It is not easy to take the influence of vendor salesmanship out of these analyses. While I wasn’t a fly on the wall of the steak and brandy dinners you cite, I can confirm that some product vendors do try to offer our consultants these ‘benefits’ to influence decisionmaking.

I cannot emphasize enough the need for the customer to gather requirements that are meaningful to the business needs prior to looking at product (or vendor). Through a well-organized and thorough procurement process, the customer can end up with the product and vendor relationship that fits best for that customer’s business needs. The side benefit of that process is a better understanding by both the customer and vendor of exactly what they’re getting themselves into. The Forrester and Gartner reports are just one set of tools that the customer can use during the procurement process.

I’m sure that in both organizations, the analysts are trying to do their best to report objective data. However, both organizations should take especial care to double-check assertions in these reports in consideration of the fact that customers often have blind trust in the research.

I think Forrester should hire you or another industry expert with some cojones to BLOG about the flaws in their content. Someone needs to help these people improve their game!

By: Nagu

Nagu — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 06:14:07 +0000

Clients find waves and Quadrants simple and fast ways of assessing product’s standing in the market.
Hence it becomes a consultant’s action item to be in sync with these reports.
However,i still feel these reports are not transparent.For instance,there needs to be mention of existing client satisfaction index over product he is using.There should also be number of clients who have migrated from one ECM to the other and why.
I still cant get what SAP doing in waves and quadrants.

By: Pie

Pie — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:05:03 +0000

This was the first to really talk about Alfresco, I had to dive into it. Besides, these reports do have some value as long as you read deep into them.

Besides, if my clients take these reports seriously, I have to at least know what they say.

By: John Webber

John Webber — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 03:29:31 +0000

By your comments on Forrester’s report, it’s amazing you actually spent the time to review it. Blogs will/have become the reviewer of my own choice. I’ll leave the reports to managers who need to build slide decks from the graphics and sound bites.

By: Pie

Pie — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:46:43 +0000

From what I can tell, they like Lotus Notes, IBM’s better Information Management suite, and they have traveled further down the SOA road. The two key factors are Breadth of the ECM offering (40%) and the Extended Capabilities (20%).

However, if you look at my note, you can’t really count Lotus as it is a separate application. FileNet has had a lot of problems delivering since the P8 suite came out years ago. If anyone can turn it around though, it will be IBM.

The other two, more significant, long-term, threats to EMC’s “leadership” are Oracle(Stellent) and Alfesco. Oracle has the right strategy and just needs some breadth. Alfresco just needs more time to add capabilities.

By: Nagu

Nagu — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:14:53 +0000

Dear Laurence
Any thoughts as to why IBM is placed slightly ahead of EMC in both Gartner and Forrester.
I’m a dctm fan and Big Blue’s over take is making me apprehensive:)
Please do let me know if you have discussed it in earlier blogs or forums.