Microsoft has released support for the recently ratified CMIS  (Content Management Interoperability Services) standard -- joining the ranks of many other vendors that now support CMIS in some form. This support comes in the form of a connector in SharePoint 2010 administration toolkit.

In a new Advisory Briefing for our SharePoint and ECM subscribers, we evaluate how the CMIS  connector targets different use cases where SharePoint needs to inter-operate or co-exist with other applications.

We also explore the pitfalls. To quote:

"As a high-level specification, however, CMIS may not provide the performance or breadth of functionality that users seek with respect to SharePoint integration."

While SharePoint's CMIS support is clearly welcome, it's not a silver bullet, and integration between systems remains complex and costly.  Meanwhile, many ECM vendors have developed deeper and more sophisticated (albeit non-standard) integration methods. In a forthcoming Advisory Briefing, we'll critique the various different ways that major ECM vendors integrate with SharePoint.

Just remember that when a system has a "SharePoint Connector" -- be it CMIS-based or not -- this doesn't mean that your all your needs will be met.