Vignette seeks to build on strong foundations

Web content management firm Vignette said it will aim to compete with larger rivals such as IBM's FileNet and EMC, by sticking to its core competency in the web delivery space and continuing to innovate with new technology releases.

Speaking at the firm's annual Village customer conference event in Barcelona this week, chief executive Mike Aviles explained that much of Vignette's R&D dollar is being spent to make the technology faster, more usable and better integrated.

New products slated for release in Q1 2008 included a Community Services offering, which is designed to "provide the building blocks for social computing on the web", including capabilities for ratings, tagging, forums and blogging, according to Vignette's Leo Brunnick.

There will also be new versions of the firm's Collaboration and Portal products – the latter featuring enhanced personalisation – and a High Performance Delivery solution deigned to help firms meet customer demand for faster, more compelling content.

"We will focus on our core segments – imaging and workflow and next generation web," argued Aviles. "Product innovation has been a key part of our past and must be key in the future."

He also argued that recent consolidation in the content management space has helped to "eliminate some noise in the market", but admitted the firm was still a tempting acquisition target. "I'm here to grow the company and create shareholder value, but my life could change tomorrow," said Aviles.

There were also hints that Vignette will look to acquire firms in the search, portal, analytics and digital asset management spaces in the future.