As I walked into AIIM 360 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, I noticed immediately Microsoft’s strong presences flowing throughout the building. With over a dozen AIIM shows under my belt, I have slowly watch the blue-carpeted side--representing software--steadily grow. In contrast I have witnessed the red-carpeted side--representing the hardware and paper world--slowly decrease in size. In addition, it is my observation that attendance has been on a slow decline. Last year there was a negative vibe, however this year the show had an energy I hadn’t noticed in years. More blue carpet than red. A positive buzz. Something new, something fresh, something alluring. Something SharePoint.
The fact is that Microsoft and SharePoint have landed and there is no escaping the power and productivity of this amazing product. From the Microsoft Executive Keynotes, partner spotlight sessions and the impressive real-world customer implementation stories--it truly was a SharePoint summit. I spoke with many people who told me the only reason they came was to see SharePoint 2010. Their goal was to learn how to enhance what they were already doing with SharePoint or how to migrate from their existing solution and begin to embrace the SharePoint 2010 technology. One vendor told me the only reason most of the vendors returned, including them, was because the focus of the show would be on Microsoft’s flagship product.
Case in point, the Microsoft booth was buzzing with SharePoint solutions solving all kinds of collaboration and ECM problems. It is undeniable that SharePoint has changed the landscape of enterprise content management. In the 2005 Magic Quadrant for ECM, Gartner showed Microsoft at the top of being a niche player with and ability to execute. In 2009 Gartner showed Microsoft in second place under the Leadership quadrant. I would be surprised to not see Microsoft in the number one position this year. One thing is truly for sure; they absolutely stole the show at AIIM 360 this year.
Bryan Reynolds is Managing Partner of Sitrof Technologies, 700 Alexander Park, Princeton, NJ 08540, email: breynolds@sitrof.com
