IBM Announced today the latest version of its Enterprise Content Management solution, IBM FileNet P8 4.0. The solution reflects the successful integration of FileNet following its acquisition in 2006. The capabilities that IBM has focused on for this release center around three main areas: content, process and compliance.
Compliance is King for IBM Customer Base
IBM has made a significant focus on records management and compliance as the major drivers for much of its customer base in 2006. With 23 of the top 25 banks and 24 of the top 25 insurance companies, it is understandable that for IBM, compliance and records management are at the top of the list for its product functionality build-out. Upside Research has not seen this deep focus on compliance across the broader range of BPM vendors, but believes it makes sense given the strong content focus for IBM’s and FileNet’s ECM solutions.
Dual product lines continue to evolve for 2007
One of the areas that IBM emphasized was to reassure its customers using existing IBM content management products and those using heritage FileNet products that both product lines would continue to be supported and evolved through 2007. The company’s message for its sales force to take to market is that it will enhance and maintain the IBM heritage Content Manager product, but at the same time, see if there was an opportunity for BPM in the customer account, and what User Interface would be most appropriate. Thus, customers can keep using what they have and plug more in as they need new functionality.
Operation Tango
The 1,200 developers that are dedicated to the Enterprise Content Management space have begun to work together, under a strategy called Tango, to find commonalities and overlaps and work toward complete integration of the two solutions into one integrated Enterprise Content Management platform by Q3 2008.
Agnostic Platform
Another commitment that IBM made was to continue to build out its support for all the other market leaders in databases, application servers, web servers, and user interfaces. The company claims 19% market share for ECM currently, and understands that if it wants to grow that to 30% it will have to support a wide range of other platforms and applications.
