Event Summary
Lotus Development Corporation, a division of IBM (NYSE: IBM), has announced a forthcoming product that will serve as a knowledge manager for a company's Intranet, or for the Internet. Nicknamed "Raven" the product will provide a portal from which users can find information and applications on a given subject, locate experts on a particular subject, and organize tasks and projects. The announcement, made at Lotus' LotusWorld trade show by Lotus' President and CEO Joseph Papows, did not specify a release date or give details about product functionality.
Market Impact
There's no arguing with Papows' contention that large companies are at a disadvantage in the fast moving world of E-commerce. And Lotus, which IDG credits with a strong market share lead of 41.6 percent of the groupware market over Microsoft's 34 percent, has the experience and ability to produce a tool that can help structure information across the enterprise. Papows suggests that larger businesses have the internal knowledge to be much more competitive in E-business, but are unable to leverage their capabilities because of size. If Raven can help these hundred ton gorillas launch themselves as successful E-commerce companies, it will be a rare bird indeed.