Content Management Market Forecast

The market for content management (CM) product licence revenues will continue to grow steadily at an average rate of 3.6%, from $1.59 billion in 2004, reaching $2 billion by 2009.

2004 was a reasonable year for the market, which saw overall growth of 2.9%. Larger players have continued to pull away from the rest of the pack, with IBM, Microsoft, Documentum, FileNet and OpenText showing licence revenues of well over $100 million, with the others lagging behind.

Market consolidation has steadied to a trickle, and has been limited largely to the acquisition of specific, niche technology.

North America remains the largest market for CM, followed closely by Western Europe, which will continue to grow steadily. The Asia-Pacific market currently accounts for the third largest share in the CM market, and this share is set to increase over the next five years, as the financial climate strengthens and CM vendors realise its untapped potential.

The main drivers in the market are:

• recognition of the commercial importance of providing employees, partners and customers with accurate, up-to-date and timely content
• the continuing struggle to gain control of the mass of information within organisations and the mass of resources it takes up
• the initiatives in government and corporate governance driving the effective management of electronic content.