Autonomy’s Lynch: Governance Market
January 25, 2009
I have been confused by the words used by search wizards to describe what their systems do. As each wave of search and content processing technology crashes against the corporate beach head, the buyers surf, watch, or flee. The waves recede and after a while another wave builds and heads towards the beach head. An endless cycle think I. Governance, short for risk, is now an official buzzword.
CIO Magazine (UK version) ran an interview with Sir Michael Lynch, senior wizard at Autonomy, the Cambridge-based information systems company. I have praised Autonomy for two core attributes that other vendors cannot quite duplicate. First, a sense of what the market wants to buy or hear. Second, the ability to close deals in business sectors where other competitors have either failed or have a smaller presence. Perhaps it is drinking the water of the River Cam? Whatever the reason, Autonomy has been outflanking outfits like the scrutinized Fast Search & Transfer, dozens of newcomers, and some high-profile players like Endeca.
In Martin Veitch’s interview with Sir Michael here, I noticed several interesting comments. Let me highlight two so you have to read the original and not rely upon me as your Kentucky intellect (heaven help you!).
Point one: content management is a discipline that’s going to change. Autonomy, I opine, wants to lead the charge. Interwoven provides the helmet and the lance. Autonomy provides the knights, the battle gear, and the charger named IDOL. CMS has been one of those quasi software inventions that start out small and then multiply like gerbils. You have lots of gerbils, but they are not too useful in my opinion. Then the CMS consultants–almost always members of the trophy generation who think of content as a Web page–run up their bills. Autonomy, as I understand Sir Michael, wants to gallop into the CMS vendors and clear the field.
Point two: worries about multiple products and services that do similar functions are not the issue. The focus is on growing revenue. Autonomy will pick its friends and then makes sales. Over time, the duplication of products and services will sort themselves out. That strategy seems to have worked with IDOL and Verity’s K2.
The more interesting question to me is, “Which search and content processing vendor will challenge Autonomy in this new sector?” Any suggestions?
Stephen Arnold, January 25, 2009
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