Open Text ECM global leader: Gartner

Open Text, provider of enterprise content management (ECM) software, has been ranked by analyst firm Gartner as the global market share leader in ECM, according to Chicago`s D-Business News.

The study, titled Market Share: Enterprise Content Management Software, Worldwide, 2003-2005, states that Open Text holds the largest share at 13.2% among 11 leading vendors and a large group of smaller vendors.

"The comprehensive study points out dramatic changes in the ECM industry over the last few years, in particular, market consolidation, and states that about 51% of the market, as measured by total software revenue, is held by just four vendors, including Open Text," notes the article.

Hummingbird, a Canadian content management and network connectivity company, will be acquired by California investment firm Symphony Technology Group for $465 million in cash.

"The company`s board has approved the deal, which will be financed in part through a $135 million investment from venture capitalist Tennenbaum Capital Partners," writes Intelligent Enterprise.

Symphony, based in Silicon Valley, has agreed to pay $26.75 a share, a premium on Thursday`s closing price of $23.12 a share.

The sale should go through at the end of July, pending approval from Hummingbird shareholders.

Pittsburgh-based technology company Vivisimo has introduced Velocity 5, an enterprise search platform designed to provide organisations greater flexibility and control of enterprise software.

"The enhanced solution lets users access and manipulate both structured and unstructured content at the same time by using new graphical interface controls," writes the Gilbane Report.

The solution allows structured and unstructured content elements to be extracted, normalised, and combined, regardless of location, to create virtual documents. In addition, Velocity 5 lets administrators control access not only at the document level, but also inside the documents at the content level, adds the report.