Alfresco Declares War On Microsoft SharePoint
Alfresco positions itself as:
"The Open Source SharePoint Alternative."
Sure, Microsoft SharePoint remains a lucrative opportunity for solutions providers. But even SharePoint — one of Microsoft’s fastest-growing products — is under attack from open source. This time, the aggressor is Alfresco Software Inc. Here’s the scoop.
Alfresco positions itself as:
“The Open Source SharePoint Alternative.”
The company kicked off that attack strategy in July, when Alfresco described plans to support the SharePoint Server 2007 protocols. The attack grew a bit more aggressive when LinuxWorld Expo pulled into San Francisco last week.
During the event, Alfresco had a small demo station within Canonical’s conference booth. From the relative safety of that booth, Alfresco representatives educated hundreds of attendees about the company’s strategy.
Instead of struggling to define where and how Alfresco fits into the content management market, Alfresco representatives kept repeating that same magic phrase:
“We’re the open source SharePoint alternative.”
Even The VAR Guy was repeating Alfresco’s pitch by the time he headed for his flight home. You know, if you say something often enough people start to believe it. Early Alfresco customers — from Activision to XMRadio — seem to be true believers.
What I truly do not understand about alfresco is that they spend time at LinuxWorld, Java One and the like but don’t appear at the trade shows ( http://www.aiimroadshow.org.uk/delegates/ex_list_db.asp ) where they might find users and buyers.
There seems to be a great deal of fanfare about some war that open source is waging against Microsoft. I see it a bit more pragmatically; open source is fulfilling rhetoric that Microsoft has been bandying about for a while now but that they have continued to fail to deliver on; interoperability.
Hi thevarguy,
You have some market insight : Can you – or maybe some reader here – explain me what is it that drives people – at least CIOs and their staff – to Sharepoint?
I just cannot imagine a functionality in Sharepoint – looking at the technical sheet of it – which is not long, long in some free software product. We have document management – with Apache WebDav check – , we have Wiki – with multiple free software wikis check -, we have discussion groups – with many, many free software forums software check -.
For me Sharepoint is just another blown up copy of functionality which can be found since years in FOSS packets.
Only, I can imagine the click-click interface of M$ of something shining as interesting to the M$ customers.
Mr. Root: The FOSS crowd continually underestimates the power of MSFT. SharePoint is a well-branded product that VARs are aggressively backing. And now, it’s shifting to the SaaS market as well. Plus, Microsoft’s “closed” approach to software does include tight hooks between MSFT applications.
Consider this: The VAR Guy just heard about a major US service provider that is dumping Novell NetWare, GroupWise and SuSE in favor of an integrated MSFT approach. It’s a $4 million project to start, with plenty more dollars flowing to MSFT. The CIO is sold on MSFT’s .Net architecture.
The VAR Guy isn’t saying the US service provider is making the right move. But this is the reality, folks: MSFT remains a true force, despite FOSS’s advancements.
Spaulding: Fantastic movie reference. The VAR Guy never slices…
The Var Guy:
I accept your example. And I heard many such examples before.
BUT you did not explain _WHY_ for example this US service provider is going to the M$ approach. You only told us that they will do it.
I especially asked for the WHY.
I am aiming for a discussion that gets to the point of _WHAT_ – we the FOSS community – can do to get to a point where we can directly compete with $harepoint. I pointed that in the Free Software repository the functions of Sharepoint are already existant. But for one or the other reason we cannot get to the point where we are accepted as a platform for business development/solution.
Let the discussion begin. With the hope to get at the end a plan and specification for an Ubuntu based integrated groupware with document management functionality or some such. ;-))
Mr. Root: The VAR Guy isn’t suggesting that the US Service Provider CIO is making the “right” decision. But here’s the reasoning behind his decision…
If you ran a Global 2000 company, would you bet on a hot, emerging platform (Alfresco) that didn’t really have an established channel of IT consultants, integrators, programmers and solutions providers standing behind it? Or would you select a “just good enough” MSFT solution that is backed by thousands of ISVs, integrators, OEMs?
Frankly, it’s all about the partner ecosystem. FOSS has wonderful “communities” of developers, but many of those community members are nameless, faceless people working somewhere in the cloud. Those FOSS developers are talented folks, and The VAR Guy respects them. But FOSS needs to make the jump from “community” support to true channel-oriented solutions providers.
I believe the key to Microsoft’s Success is in the consistency of their user interface. All their applications have a uniform feel that tends to flatten the learning curve and make switching from one to the other a walk in the park… Linux is the exact opposite. And dont be mistaken too, CIO’s and all the geeks hate having to explain “trivial” things to newbies
You may have GIMP with a GTK feel, and KOffice with a Qt feel. Try explaining why one checkbox is circular and the other one triangular to the old bosse’s secretary and then you will understand.
I believe, Linux’s strength, too much freedom, is what is bogging it down. There are way too many options as to render most people completely overwhelmed… it’s like going to the store without a shopping list…
So… I am suggesting that we somehow curtail this freedom just to keep at par? Hell NOOO!!!
The Var Guy:
Thank you for your elaboration on the reasons to get successful as a development house – using solution providers -.
You forget one thing: In the FOSS space you cannot make the assumption that there is a biz with a development part in it. So in the FOSS space to say that you have to go to the “channel” it is in most cases not just possible. For example take KDE(I am speaking of Version 3.5.9 here): A big development with full integrated Office suite, and multi media apps and also with 3rd party contributed groupware – KDE with KOffice has a better integrated interface as all the MS operating systems with Office, just go look at the screenshots -.
BUT to say to the KDE guys to build up a “channel” is just not possible.
We HAVE to make solutions that speak to the business possible from the development point of view of FOSS projects.
Showing and teaching how to build up various solutions for the business so that a small consultant business can build up from that. And similar ways.
isMundu:
Your example is just wrong.
If you want an integrated and consistent look and feel then you have to give the example of KDE3.5.9 and KOffice and Krita – the Gimp-like KDE program -. Then you can show that the FOSS guys can build even better integrated “solutions” then the commercial world. It gets even better: In some months – maybe up to 12 – we will get with the KOffice 4 not only the integrated things of KDE but these will be even platform neutral because they will work – in some cases even work today – on Windows XP (maybe also Vista), too.
So in the end: There is nothing bogging something down.
It is ONLY, and only the image of FOSS and the not-connected to the real world hackers in the basements that is bogging the usage of FOSS in the business down.
Full stop.
http://www.koffice.org/
Not to bury your good points with mundane details ismundu but koffice was started latter than kde and is on version 2. That being said I have been continually impressed with the progress the kde team makes. I think by adopting many interchangeable pieces of code they really have begun to get a snowball effect.
As for this article I think it’s too short with not enough detail. I had to go look up what alfresco does before I can even begin to care about this article. I think a brief description of what alfresco does somewhere in the article would have been nice.
ismundu: Sorry – *no-one* can claim that MS has the high ground in interface consistency. Check out any recent Word and Excel version and try to find where the config options are, and how they are laid out.
Consistency eh? Pffffft.