Open Text and Microsoft form partnership

In a move simultaneously cursed and praised by industry watchers, Open Text (www.opentext.com) and Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) have announced an alliance addressing enterprise content management (ECM) worldwide. Last week Open Text reported its Artesia digital asset management (DAM) will be integrated into SQL Server (www.kmworld.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=14576).

This move goes deep into Microsoft's product lineup and will entail end-to-end solutions from Open Text, including vertical-market offerings in financial services and government. As part of the arrangement, Open Text is also introducing two new solutions that utilize its Livelink ECM suite and Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003. They include an Open Text records management solution for SharePoint 2003, allowing customers to extend compliance-driven records management retention and disposition policies to content maintained in SharePoint Portal Server 2003.

The companies explain the offering builds on Open Text's previously announced content archiving capabilities for SharePoint Portal Server 2003, which Open Text introduced in August. The records management and archiving products help customers create a secure, compliant life cycle management system for their SharePoint Portal Server 2003 content. Open Text is also introducing Web Parts that expose Livelink ECM content and functionality in SharePoint Portal Server 2003. This new level of integration between the two solutions will allow SharePoint Portal Server 2003 users to utilize specific Livelink ECM capabilities and access content stored anywhere in Livelink ECM.

Future versions of Open Text solutions will be built on the next release of Microsoft Office products, code-named Office "12." Livelink ECM will connect directly with Microsoft's ECM capabilities and extend the content created in Office "12" into key business processes. Open Text says the Microsoft partnership will not affect its customers working on the Oracle (www.oracle.com) platform.