We’ve seen quite a bit of maturation in the SharePoint market over the past couple of weeks. First came the announcement that Rackspace was acquiring SharePoint911 to bolster its service offerings. Then we reported that Metalogix was acquiring Syntergy’s SharePoint software and engineers. Today, we share with you the news that Axceler is partnering with SharePoint Pros consulting, through which Axceler’s governance solutions will be promoted to clients.
All of these are telltale signs of a maturing market. SharePoint isn’t the new software on the block anymore; organizations understand the value it can bring and are making decisions about its adoption, and about third-party tools as well. It is important to note, though, that innovation continues apace in the Microsoft partner space as new ideas around the social office, security and data storage continue to push the product envelope, and push each other. Competition, before commoditization, is a good thing.
What we’re seeing is this: Rackspace wants to establish some “street cred” beyond merely hosting SharePoint (and wants to use SharePoint as an entry point to get clients to host other servers as well), Metalogix wants to compete with the bigger players who offer more than point solutions, and Axceler is looking for another channel into which its products can be sold.
These are positive deals in the SharePoint market, showing these companies are doubling-down on SharePoint for the longer run. Based on Microsoft’s sales numbers, and the uptake we’ve seen within organizations, it seems like a pretty good bet.
—David
