Out of the Autonomy Frying Pan and into the OpenText Fire?

I note with interest that OpenText is offering a a "software trade-in" for Autonomy customers. 

Earlier today, Kashyap analyzed whether incumbent Autonomy customers should consider any switch at all. If you do find yourself wanting to switch, you'll want to carefully evaluate a broad range of choices, especially since most OpenText offerings don't match up neatly with Autonomy's. 

Perhaps a bigger issue is that OpenText suffers from many of the same underlying diseases as Autonomy.  To be sure, OpenText has not been run by a megalomaniac, and I've never heard any hint of financial or stock manipulation at the Canadian ECM vendor.  Nonetheless, like Autonomy, OpenText is fundamentally a roll-up company, focused more on buying smaller vendors than developing and integrating those systems into a more coherent whole.  This can bring short-term returns, but I believe is a highly suspect long-term strategy for customers. 

In the meantime, as our subscribers know, most (though not all) OpenText offerings lag their more nimble competitors.  Consult RSG's individual reports for more deail. 

I don't hear HP saying that will discontinue support for Autonomy.  And I doubt they will (though they could sell off bits of it), at least not anytime soon.  So if you license Autonomy products today, my advice is: take your time, consider a wide array options with care, then be deliberate (and informed) about whether and how you switch. 

Other ECM & Cloud File Sharing posts

ECM Standards in Perspective

In real life I don't see ECM standards proving particularly meaningful, and you should see them as a relative benefit rather than absolute must-have.