Microsoft losing grip on ECM mid-market

Microsoft's SharePoint is seeing strong competition

Mid-sized organisations have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to choosing an enterprise content management (ECM) supplier, according to new research from independent ECM analyst CMS Watch.

The ECM Suites Report 2009 showed that, despite the perception of a dominant Microsoft SharePoint, competing vendors are actually cashing-in on areas where SharePoint functionality is lacking, while others are offering add-on services.

"It was a bit of a surprise to us really. You would think SharePoint was cutting a swathe through the market, but far from it," said CMS Watch analyst Alan Pelz-Sharpe.

"There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that larger organisation are using SharePoint as a front end, because it's very user friendly, but layering an enterprise scale [ECM] platform underneath."

The research also found that enterprise requirements have not altered a great deal over the years, with functionality such as scanning, capture and workflow still high on the list of priorities, said Pelz-Sharpe.