KMWorld Trend-Setting Products of 2012

This marks the tenth anniversary of our Trend-Setting Products list, and as in years past, it has been assembled through consultation and collaboration with editorial colleagues, analysts, system integrators and a select group of users. We conscientiously compile the list to serve KMWorld's core constituency, our readers, and focus completely on elegant, workable, sustainable business value. We disregard the gimmicky software that might feature a clever idea but has only ephemeral importance. And although a number of the products listed here are especially well-suited, if not specifically designed, for particular vertical markets, we selected those whose benefits can be realized in our readers' widely diverse environments.

The judging process is a collaborative effort that takes many months. This year more than 700 products/product families were whittled down to the 89 listed in these pages. Each company whose products are listed below helped to define and enhance a market critically important to our readership by listening to and working with customers. They all represent a commitment to innovation and their customers.

We encourage readers to send your thoughts and suggestions to the judging panel at judging@kmworld.com.

5280 Solutions: Dynamic Payables—Web-based invoice automation solution for SharePoint.

A9, an Amazon company: Amazon CloudSearch—cloud service allowing customers to integrate scalable search into applications.

Abbyy USA: FlexiCapture 10—data capture and document processing software for turning hard-copy forms and documents into business-ready data.

Accellion, Inc.: Accellion Mobile Apps-secure, enterprise—class mobile file sharing solutions. Click here for more product details.

Access Innovations: Data Harmony 3.8—software tools for metadata management, including automatic indexing and taxonomies. Click here for more product details.

Accusoft: Prizm Content Connect—customizable, scalable content viewer. Click here for more product details.

Acquia: Dev Desktop—package that installs Acquia Drupal on Windows and Mac OS X.

Acrolinx: Acrolinx IQ—natural language processing engine enabling creation of search-ready content.

Alfresco: Alfresco in the Cloud—allows users to collaborate and share files both inside and outside the organization securely on any device.

Altep: Inspicio—legal electronic document review platform with integrated concept searching, clustering and categorization. Click here for more product details.

AnyDoc Software: CAPTUREit—standalone document capture application and part of either end-to-end OCR or AnyDoc automated document and data capture. Click here for more product details.

Appian: Appian BPM Suite—mobile, cloud and social process improvement.

ASG Software Solutions: ASG CloudFactory—comprehensive cloud management. Click here for more product details.

Attensity: Attensity Pipeline—real-time, semantically annotated social media data stream for large organizations.

Attivio: Active Intelligence Engine 3.0—accessible, standards-based unified information access platform.

Autonomy: IDOL 10—a single processing layer for audio, video, social media, e-mail, Web content and structured data.

AvePoint: DocAve Content Shield for SharePoint—automating enforcement of information governance policies for tagging and classifying content. Click here for more product details.

BA Insight: Longitude Enterprise Search for SharePoint and FAST—integrated SharePoint solution that provides full previews of search result content regardless of type or location.

Bamboo Solutions: Web Parts and Tools—portfolio to accelerate portal deployment and facilitate adoption and continued usage. Click here for more product details.

Birst: Birst Enterprise Edition—self-service business intelligence.

BP Logix: Process Director Cloud Edition—business intelligence to help users anticipate and predict potential problems in business processes.

Bridgeline Digital: iAPPS Content Manager V. 4.7—Web experience management with internationalization capabilities for e-commerce. Click here for more product details.

Citrix: XenDesktop—desktop virtualization for on-demand service on any device.

Clarabridge: Clarabridge Enterprise—voice of the customer platform for data acquisition with linguistic processing and enterprise reporting.

Colligo Networks: Colligo Desktop for SharePoint—document, e-mail and records management solution.

Comperio Search: Comperio Front—business logic software for search solutions. Click here for more product details.

Concept Searching: Smart Content Framework—software to identify and tag content with semantic metadata and then classify it to organizational taxonomies.

Connotate: Agent Community—software and services provide an interface for highly accurate data collection.

Consona, which recently merged with CDC Software to form Aptean: CRM Suite—knowledge management, enterprise customer relationship management, e-service and network management software.

Content Analyst: Content Analyst Analytical Technology (CAAT) V. 3.11—deep analytics for unstructured data applications, including legal document review.

Coveo: Insight Solutions—combining enterprise search and knowledge management with extensive industry expertise and best practices.

Digital Reef: Digital Reef eDiscovery—enterprise-scale e-discovery platform for managing legal matters, regulatory inquiries and corporate investigations.

Discover Technologies: DiscoverPoint—automated expertise location for enterprises with large workforces.

eGain: eGain 10—complete suite of customer service and contact center software to help organizations transform their traditional call centers into multichannel customer interaction hubs. Click here for more product details.

Ektron: Ektron 8.5—.NET Web content management, marketing optimization, social community and e-commerce platform.

EMC: Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform—software used to deliver and manage storage-as-a-service to an Atmos storage cloud.

EntropySoft: Content Hub Platform—content connectors providing a central point of access to all company documents, both on-premise or in the cloud. Click here for more product details.

EXSYS: Corvid—development software allowing non-programmers to easily build interactive Web applications.

Exterro: Fusion Platform—workflow-driven suite including identification, legal hold and early case assessment, collection, processing, analysis, review and production.

Findwise: Hydra—open source content processing framework for search-based applications.

FTI Technology: Ringtail 8.2—a complete e-discovery platform with integrated visual analytics and redesigned interface. Click here for more product details.

HiSoftware: Compliance Sheriff—enterprise compliance automation enabling repeatable and enforceable processes for all types of content governance.

IBM: Content Navigator—allows users to access, manage, work and collaborate with enterprise content directly from mobile devices and tablets.

IGLOO Software: Igloo Platform—integrated suite of content management, collaboration and enterprise social networking tools.

Infotrieve: Mobile Library—fully secure, cloud-based access to enterprise content.

Integrify: Integrify 5.5—robust, lean business process management solution available as both an on-premise solution or hosted service.

IntelliResponse: IntelliResponse Answer Suite—customer experience across a variety of interaction channels, including corporate websites, agent desktops, social media platforms and mobile devices.

IntraFind: iFinder—solutions and consultancy services for enterprise search, information access and text mining.

IntraLinks: IntraLinks Connect—out-of-the-box solutions to share content across the enterprise while maintaining  security, control and transparency. Click here for more product details.

Jive Software: Social Business Platform—comprehensive, enterprise-class tools for communication, collaboration, content creation and sharing.

K2: K2 blackpearl—BPM software for automating enterprise business processes and building SharePoint applications and integrating Microsoft solutions into SAP.

KANA: KANA Enterprise Agent Desktop—allows contact center agents to access the information and functionalities required to see customer information in a single, unified desktop.

Kapow Software: Katalyst 9.0—enables integration of applications and/or data sources without coding or APIs.

kCura: Relativity 7—Web-based platform providing analysis, review and production stages of the electronic discovery reference model (EDRM). Click here for more product details.

KnowledgeLake: Unify for SharePoint—permits users to stay within native applications while interacting with SharePoint. Click here for more product details.

Kofax: Kofax Web Capture—toolkit for creating Web-based applications with image viewing/scanning capabilities.

M-Files: M-Files ECM—document management integrated with Windows applications.

MarkLogic: MarkLogic 5—database for building and deploying big data applications with structured, semi-structured and unstructured information.

Metalogix: Replicator for SharePoint 5.0—enables multiserver SharePoint content synchronization. Click here for more product details.

Mindbreeze: InSite—secure, semantic software for Web search. Click here for more product details.

Moxie Software: Spaces Platform—communication and collaboration designed to connect customers and employees.

NewsGator: Social Sites for SharePoint 2010—social networking for SharePoint integration.

Noetix: NoetixViews Workbench—automates the creation and management of customizations to Noetix views through an intuitive user interface. Click here for more product details.

OpenText: Exceed onDemand for iPad—managed application access solution designed for enterprises.

Oracle: Oracle RightNow CX Cloud Service—combines Web, social and contact center experiences for unified, cross-channel service.

Pegasystems: Unified Marketing Solution—inbound offer management and outbound marketing combining predictive and adaptive analytics with business process management.

Percussion Software: CM1 Version 2—pure WCM software that provides users with full functionality delivered as an easily upgradeable product.

Proofpoint: Enterprise Governance—tracks, classifies, monitors and applies policy to unstructured information across the enterprise where stored.

Q-Sensei: Q-Sensei Enterprise—multidimensional search and indexing designed to develop and deploy search-based applications. Click here for more product details.

Quest Software: Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise—in-depth physical, cloud and virtual SQL diagnostics.

Raytion: Enterprise Search Connectors for FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint—native integration with SharePoint's security trimming.

Recommind: Decisiv Search—crawls and indexes information from any source, including document management systems, intranets, e-mail archives, contact management databases and websites.

Reprints Desk: Article Galaxy—journal article platform for evidence-based promotions, medical information responses, as well as scientific, technical and medical research.

RightAnswers: Unified Knowledge Platform—knowledge management automation and service.

Rivet Logic: Crafter Rivet Version 2.0—an end-to-end Web content and experience management and delivery platform. Click here for more product details.

RSD: RSD GLASS—platform for managing global corporate information governance programs for electronic and physical records.

SAP: StreamWork—social software enabling information analysis to drive action through collaboration with people, data and structured business tools.

SAS Text Analytics: Predictive Analytics and Data Mining—suite of integrated predictive modeling processes.

SDL: SDL Tridion—complete, global Web content management solutions. Click here for more product details.

Search Technologies: Aspire—content processing system designed for search environments enabling content to be acquired, cleaned, restructured, enriched and normalized. Click here for more product details.

Sherpa Software: Discovery Attender for Notes—federated search functionality across all Domino databases.

Smartlogic: Semaphore—combines ontology management, classification, text mining and semantic analysis in a search application framework.

SpringCM: Mobile apps for iPad, iPhone and Android—cloud-based content and document management solutions.

StoredIQ: Active Information Management Platform—open platform for in-place dynamic indexing and analysis of data.

Symantec: Endpoint Protection—antivirus software virtual and physical systems that integrate into other virus protection tools with a single console.

Synaptica: Synaptica Enterprise—taxonomy and metadata management software.

Traction Software: TeamPage—action tracking, Twitter-style status, threaded discussion, collaboration, social networking and deep search.

Vivisimo, an IBM company: CXO—customer experience optimization connecting customer-facing agents with information required for sales/support.

Wall Street Network: WSN Insight—knowledge management for SharePoint.