Brilliant Leap

Heads up! Will EMC's Big Changes Affect IIG and Documentum?

In case you haven’t heard yet, there are some big changes coming at EMC. Earlier this week, in a joint announcement (via blog posts)with VMware, the companies said that they would be pooling assets to form Pivotal Initiative. You need to read about it , and then come back to this post. I’m going to tell you what others are saying about the big change and what it might mean to you, the Documentum professional.

First and foremost, and what’s hard to dispute, is that  EMC, via Pivotal Initiative, is getting further into databases and software development. Big boss Joe Tucci seems to understand that Big Data technologies are going to replace (or at least become more prevalent) than the Oracle and SQL of yesteryear (Oracle is more than 30 years old) and that almost everything is moving to the cloud. (I’ve already written that Documentum will become a SaaS- based.)

EMC isn’t just saying that Cloud is transforming IT and that Big Data is transforming Business, they are also walking the walk.

And, perhaps just a significantly, much of what Pivotal Initiative will have to offer, is Open Source, another interesting move for EMC. (Kudos to the team at Greenplum for this.)

As time goes, you might begin to hear rumors that Documentum will leave EMC’s core business and that IIG will move to Pivotal Initiative.(Some analysts are already hinting at it.) At this point, I don’t see any reason to believe that this will happen in the short term. I could be wrong, of course, but Rick Devenuti and his team have worked too hard to win back the confidence of their customers, and a move to a new business unit might be disruptive in a bad way. Why risk it?

When NGIS finally arrives in 2014 and Paul Maritz (of VMware fame) has built Pivotal Initiative into an Industry leader, the move would be more likely to be embraced by IIG’s customers. There’s one other reason I don’t think IIG will move to Pivotal right away;  the joint venture has announced its probable employee count and IIG’s team would cause overflow in a big way.

So, when the Bozo’s start gossiping, listen if you want, but don’t let what they say sway your thinking.

I do have one other thing to predict, but I’m not going to post on it until next week, unless someone can guess what it is.

I’m all ears!

Oh, and if anyone from IIG management wants to comment, I’m (virginia@BrilliantLeap.com) all ears

The EMC (Documentum) Challenge: Transform IT+ Business+ Yourself-What exactly does that mean?

EMC has been spouting an interesting tagline over the last year: “Transform IT+ Business+ Yourself”

Chances are that you’ve seen it on EMC’s website or plastered on a placard or slide at an EMC Event. And if you’re anything like most of the people I’ve spoken to, you haven’t given the tagline much thought.

If that’s the case, then it might be time to start thinking now.

Because if you own, use, partner, or work with EMC products (and, so, it goes to follow Documentum), the time for transformation (unless you’re already transformed) is now.

Refuse to recognize this and you risk extinction.

I wish I was being dramatic, but I’m not.

The advent of the cloud, IaaS, PaaS and SaaS and other hosted solutions, in EMC’s sphere, is not only going to change how you do your work, but also, and in many cases, the actual work that you do (or are no longer needed to do.)

This will fundamentally affect the way you: serve your internal and external users and business partners, run your consulting business, work as a corporate employee/manager, architect, developer, project manager, business process owner and so on…

It means that you are going to have to transform yourself. And the time to influence and make choices about your own transformation is now.

Why the urgency?

Perhaps the first thing to recognize is that EMC is actively moving its customers to the cloud. And that includes EMC’s Information Intelligence Group (IIG), which owns Documentum, Captiva, DocSciences, Syncplicity (which was built for the cloud) and so on…

Chances are good that, unless EMC changes direction (which is highly unlikely) then the Documentum of tomorrow won’t be hosted by your company; in fact, your company may not “even” own it; instead they’ll pay for subscriptions or actual use.

Heads Up! You Too Can Witness EMC IIG (aka Documentum) Make its Largest Product Launch in IIG’s History

Maybe no one has told you just yet, but enterprise software is getting  hot again. And when I say hot, I mean almost iPhone hot. You can credit digital natives, the Gen Y workers who refuse to tolerate  slow, boring, technologies that require a lot of effort and stop short of delivering anything miraculous. Or the fact that web 2.0 and the mobile app economy are becoming saturated, leaving all the brainy geeks in Silicon Valley jonesing for a new paradigm to code in. (After all who needs another app or wants to join yet another social network.) Or maybe it’s that the Cloud, BYOD, and Big Data bring so much to the table that the best talent wants to help create an entirely new era in computing.

No matter what you think, one thing is clear, enterprise vendors have basic business applications covered (does anyone really need yet another General Ledger or Accounts Payable solution?)The time has come for a new paradigm in which companies can make better, strategic decisions using data and information. And hopefully EMC IIG will be unveiling something in that vein next week in what they’re saying will be the largest product launch in Documentum’s history.

I’m excited!

So excited that I’m going to go way out on the limb and guess what it will be.

Remembering 9/11 in New York

I don’t usually write a post on 9/11; instead I start my day with a moment of remembrance and silence for the victims (Yes, I’m capable of being quiet) and then I go on with business as usual…the gym, recruiting, interviewing, negotiating job offers etc…

This September 11 feels different, though. Maybe it’s because the weather here in the NYC area is so similar to what it was on 9/11 – a cool, crystal clear day.

Back then I worked 18 hours/day (I work about 12 now), Documentum was in its heyday, and demand for Documentum pros was far greater that the supply.

Though Life Science companies had been using the technology for several years , Investment Banks, Hedge Funds and Insurance companies, among others, had huge ECM initiatives beginning that promised to leverage it to its hilt. Content Management was going to change the world. But, on that day, terrorists did.

I was at my desk when the first plane hit. Many of my clients and many people whom I had placed in their jobs or on assignment worked in, or near the towers. Other people had offices and apartments in other parts of the city and they didn’t want to go outside to see what was happening.  They couldn’t reach many people from their phones, but for some reason some of them could reach me. My phone kept ringing.

Rumor has it- Microsoft is buying Yammer (And Bloomberg News seems to confirm it) What might this mean for ECM vendors?

I love tech industry gossip. Some people go for celebrities; I go for technology companies and technologists. Instead of reading tabloids, I read tweets and follow links to see who’s saying what about whom. Last night the tittle-tattle streamed in via Twitter:

Microsoft Is Buying Yammer, According To People At Yammer

The tweet led to an article on Business Insider:

We just heard from a source inside Yammer that the office is abuzz with talk of Microsoft buying the social-enterprise startup.

And the talk is spreading outside Yammer's office hard by the Caltrain station in San Francisco. Sarah Taylor, an administrative manager at Ignition Talent Group, tweeted about overhearing people talking about Microsoft acquiring Yammer at the Creamery, a café across the street from Yammer's office.

CNET, using Business Insider’s article as a basis for its own, then pushed a tweet and a headline shortly thereafter:

Rumors abound that Microsoft is buying Yammer.

By 10:44 PM the rumor seemed to become grounded. Bloomberg News published an article:

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is in discussions to acquire Yammer Inc., operator of a social network for businesses, said two people familiar with the matter.

Microsoft may pay more than $1 billion, and a deal may be reached as soon as June 15, said one person, who declined to be identified because the negotiations are private.

Then started the speculation, why would Microsoft want Yammer?

Some said that in order to compete with the likes of Salesforce (which recently bought Buddy Media for $750 million) and Oracle (which recently acquired social analytics firms Vitrue Inc. and Collective Intellect Inc.) in the enterprise, this type of a purchase was a must for Microsoft.

Others deliberated about how much a Yammer integration with Sharepoint, Exchange, and Outlook might reignite Microsoft’s hold on the enterprise.

And then there are implications for Microsoft’s mobile offerings.The existing selection is not too robust.

The question now  is, Why might this matter to ECM vendors who don’t have an Enterprise Social Twitter-like tool?

Hold your Hat Hannah! EMC Documentum is making changes, Big Time (Part 1-Does CEO Joe Tucci give a hoot about Documentum?)

For those of who you don’t know, I spent all of last week at EMC World in Las Vegas. I went there for a few reasons; one is so that I could get the skinny on where EMC and EMC IIG (aka Documentum) were headed; and two  so that I could report my findings to all of you; and three to cover the Data Scientist’s Summit for our other company Big Data Geeks and some of the publications that I write for.

I also covered EMC World for CMSWire.com where I’m a contributor. If you’re interested in reading about Big Data, ECM, and other IT related topics that I think are notable, set up a google alert with “Backaitis AND CMSWire” and you’ll be notified anytime I publish there.  It’s a good idea to step back once in a while to see the field you work in from a broader perspective, that’s what I offer to you on that site.

Also, if you’re eager to read about Documentum-related news at EMC World minus my personal interpretation (my personal reflections on EMC World will continue to appear here for the next week, or so), these are the headline makers: EMC IIG buys Syncplicity , Documentum’s User Face Gets A Makeover, EMC Documentum Reignited, and EMC CEO Says Documentum is NOT For Sale. You can read more about the latter below.

Does Joe Tucci Give a Damn About Documentum?

One of my big questions prior to Las Vegas was to discern if EMC CEO Joe Tucci cares about Documentum or IIG (the division within EMC that owns it.) I was hoping that Tucci would, at the very least, finally, say the word “Documentum” during his keynote. 

Those of you who know me will laugh if you imagine me sitt

Betting and bidding @ EMC World 2012- Will Joe Tucci utter the word “Documentum” in his keynote?

You can’t head for Vegas without a bet in your head, so this year we’re wagering as to whether or not Joe Tucci will say the word “Documentum” in his keynote.

Most years (and even on most quarterly reporting calls) the safe bet proves to be “no”, but. even so, this year I’m betting yes.

It may be wishful thinking on my part, my taking of anomalies in EMC-related data and misinterpreting them for trend, and my belief that IIG is hiring-up (they have 72 open jobs) because the expect to grow, but regardless of where it’s coming from, the momentum (no pun intended) , seems to be there.

But if Tucci isn’t aware of it, doesn’t acknowledge it, let alone celebrate it, it won’t matter.

IIG (the EMC group that owns Documentum) needs EMC’s marketing guns, pitches from EMC salespeople (who likely make bigger commissions on bigger ticket products), and the interest of every other EMC group leader to reverse IIG’s current trend, the group keeps losing market share.

It’s not enough to have an improved and updated product. Shallow as it sounds, you can’t win the marketplace without enough of exactly the right buzz. Oracle WebCenter knows this, and annoying as they are to those of us who follow keyword Documentum on Twitter, WCM shoppers won’t make a purchasing decision without looking under Oracle’s hood.

When it comes to Documentum, most ECM users (and would-be users) already think they know what the platform offers (aka “product awareness”),and “delightful” isn’t how most of them would describe it.  And adding a label like “New and improved” won’t change that. “The “new Documentum” needs some big time re-branding like, “radically redesigned”, “re-imagined”… something.

After all, the best solution does not always win. The product that the most people believe to be the best solution wins.

I learned this while I was conducting a search for a VP of marketing for one of my clients and had the opportunity to interview the most successful executives in the field.

So, later this morning, we’ll find out if Documentum is in the forefront of Joe Tucci’s mind. If the word will roll off of his tongue. If that happens, then maybe next we’ll see EMC’s big marketing machine spread the word about the radically re-imagined information management solution.

I’ll be writing about the keynote, as a reporter,  on CMSWire. I’ll be posting my analysis and opinions here.

Finally, if you’re here at EMC World, stop me and say hi. I look just like my picture, but with a black eye (s). (Fell with sunglasses on while trail-running.)

EMC’s Q1 Results- How is IIG (Documentum) doing?

Every quarter when EMC announces its results, I look for three things:

1. Is Documentum (or Information Intelligence Group (IIG) which owns Documentum) growing its sales?
2. During the conference call, did Joe Tucci, or any other corporate officer, say the words Documentum or Information Intelligence Group or IIG, or show some reason for me to believe that they’re excited about the platform?
3. Does Documentum’s (IIG) strategy fall in step with that of its parent company (EMC)?

I ask these questions for a few reasons. First, as a recruiter who has relationships with a very large number of Documentum professionals and corporate technology owners, I need to know whether this once booming market is continuing to grow, and, if not, whether something will be done to change that. After all, this community has come to know me and trust me over the past 15 years, and though my gut (gained through hundreds of conversations with Documentum professionals and Corporate Enterprise Content Management technology owners) hasn’t failed me yet, it’s good to see it validated by numbers. And, second, as an Industry reporter, I need to know whether EMC cares about IIG and/or Documentum, that it sees the platform as part of its overall business strategy, and that it at least half as interested in investing in it, as in its newer, more rapidly growing properties. If the answers to these questions is “no”, it’s time for anyone who touches Documentum to head for the hills, at least for as long as EMC owns it.

Those of you who have read this blog over the years, know that I’ve suggested that you hedge your bets in the past. It seems that there was a period of time where EMC genuinely didn’t know why it owned Documentum other than that former Documentum head Mark Lewis had convinced Tucci that it was a good idea to buy it. But that’s water under the bridge now, Documentum had indeed lost its way for too long a while…

So, here we are 8.5 years later, Documentum isn’t the golden apple of the ECM space any longer. Sure, it still dominates marketshare, it’s held on to a good number of customers, gained some new ones, and lost way too many.

There’s also another factor to consider: The Enterprise Content/Document/Records Management market is mature now, the ECM industry is unlikely to disrupt the Enterprise IT market in a big way. Vendors will be, and are already, biting at each other heels for the same customers.

With all of that being said, IIG head Rick Devenuti and his lieutenants have their work cut out for them. If they’re going to keep pace with EMC’s other rapidly growing divisions that truly do lead their sectors, they’ll have to make some big changes. Not only that, but in order to keep the customers they already have, and there are many, they’ll have to anticipate and respond to the demands of new users. Doing both of those things, at the same time, is a tall order. And these guys are working for a CEO who says “our mission is to produce truly innovative and distinctive products.”

Enough about all that, how are we doing?

What Documentum Enthusiasts Need to Do Now

First, the ugly stuff

Those of you who regularly read this blog know that, up until recently,  I've been somewhat critical about how EMC has handled its ownership of Documentum. Since 2007 (and probably even earlier), I've been saying that Documentum was about to start losing market share; that salaries and rates for Documentum professionals and contractors were going to flat-line or drop (demand wasn't keeping up with supply); that the ECM market was being disruptedby Sharepoint, Alfresco and Oracle; and that unless you were totally invested and devoted to Documentum, you should consider broadening your skill set to improve your career stability and marketability.

I'm not a psychic, but (sadly) my predictions came true.

They are late to the game, but it now seems that EMC's Information Intelligence Group (IIG) may be coming back from the brink, and there may be hope once again in Documentum-land.

Why do I say this?

1. EMC CEO Joe Tucci, or one of his lieutenants, seems to have recognized that former IIG-head Mark Lewis didn't get, or didn't get anything good done with, Documentum. (Yes, I know that's a bit harsh, but  check out how Silicon Angle depicted Lewis' management of Documentum.)
2. For the first time since EMC has owned Documentum, Documentum fits into EMC's overall strategy (or at least a strategy that they can articulate).
3. IIG's present leadership Rick Devenuti, Jeetu Patel et al have a vision for Documentum. And, they are not only talking about what they're planning to do, but they're also delivering on their promises.
4. Documentum's Next Generation Information Server (NGIS) could potentially change the entire Information Management game. John Kominetz wrote a MUST-READ post on TRAITS which is part of NGIS. (BTW, do you know of anyone who could use an architect of Kominetz's caliber? If so, contact me. Info at the bottom of the page.)
5. EMC marketers are displaying Documentum above (the very hot) Greenplum when it shows visuals of its technology stack. The message is that Greenplum provides the insight and that Documentum makes it actionable. This should increase Documentum's visibility in front of EMC customers. (and some of them know little, if anything about Documentum.)
6. There are existing Documentum customers who have never heard of xCP (HELLO Documentum sales?) which means that there remains an untapped market for a Documentum solution that many seem to be happy with.

Pass the popcorn- Tweet-slamming Documentum and, alas, a response

 Why watch “Real Housewives” when you can log-in on Twitter, enter keyword Documentum and watch the barbs fly? 

Marketing 2.0, in the Enterprise Content Management aisle, is quickly becoming more about pointing out your competitors shortcomings (real or imagined) than selling the features and benefits of your own products.

Consider some of these tweets:

oraclewebcenter Documentum customer? Been audited yet? RT @danieloleary #Documentum treating customers like thieves http://t.co/AaXekWUL #AIIM #CIO3:20 PM Jan 30th from Spredfast

oraclewebcenter  Still on #Documentum? Still have an 8-track too? Get into the 21st century WebCenter 100% trade-in http://t.co/ClU5YNN9

@JohnPowell996 (Alfresco CEO) Customers continue to get huge #Alfresco savings. EMC just announced results for Documentum (Information Intelligence Group) 18% down

@hbeader (self-identified as Senior Director, Product Marketing at Oracle) WebCenter Beats #Documentum! WebCenter Named a Leader in #ECM by Independent Research Firm bitly.com/AnTfAl #AIIM

Cloud2 IT Solutions @Cloud2ltd Documentum: very good if you need “magnificent cost, overkill and complexity”. For the other 99% #SharePoint will more than meet the needs

oraclewebcenter: Call Center Cuts Costs 75% By Switching from #Documentum to #Oracle #WebCenter Free Trade-In! http://t.co/5TeJtjd6 #AIIM

 

What’s interesting is that most of these Documentum-slamming tweets seem to come from self-identified management level execs and corporate twitter handles rather than paid social media broadcasters or via auto-tweet.

Not only that, but some of the RT’s (namely those that are Oracle WebCenter-related) are rather well-orchestrated and choreographed, implying that this it’s a deliberate strategy that managers have signed-on to participate in.

So what exactly is the prevailing move-off of Documentum (social media) strategy?