FEATURE: Collaborative Web Sites – Just Where is This Consolidation Taking Us, Anyway?
by John Jurewicz Jr.
May
08, 2001—As consolidations continue and dotcoms degenerate into
dotbombs, the users of are extremely concerned if the systems they are
testing will last till their projects are completed.
We
all know the growing list of recognized names: Struxicon, Redladder,
Best Route, Contractor Hub, Collaborative Structures, and Iscraper and
even NorthPoint Communications drop by the wayside, many ask: "Who will
survive?"
Let's take a closer look at the leading vendors. I hope to dispel the false rumors that everyone is going down. Sure funding is tight and a measure of discipline and rigor has been applied to all the business plans, but that is what all businesses must face in periods of consolidation. As with everything else in the internet world, these issues are amplified.
Analysts agree that the current restructuring, layoffs, cancelled advertising deals and sales force cut backs are a healthy thing - I mean, who wants to return the calls of 15 dotcom vendors a week. More companies kept cropping up that even our consortium of champions on the research sites could keep up with. At least the current quiet gives we industry pulse takers some respite, we all knew that deep inside the past madness had to attend. Now that the VC freakishness has subsided, we can all get busy focussing on real implementation. Getting all the team players using these systems is what it's all a bout. For without everyone's buy-in, these tools will fall by the wayside and we are going to miss one of the most tremendous communication tools ever placed in our lap- instant access to key information from anywhere...
RESTING ASSURED
Let's look at the five top "big dogs" to see where things stand: (We researched who were their large enterprising users, asked what gives them a competitive advantage and why do they expect this provider to be viable in the next 12 months.
1. Citadon- currently deployed enterprise wide by Fluor Daniel, GE Power Systems, Duke and AECOM. Current focus is to keep the large Design-Build users happy by fulfilling each and every commitment made concerning the ProjectNet toolset. Being 4 years old, ProjectNet has a mature web-based system of work flow; the document uploading, cross referencing and viewing ability gives them a competitive edge from the designer's perspective. Current profitability projections are the 1st QTR of 2002. 30,000 users with 1400 projects. Global focus toward large enterprises. Security and folder access structure is the most robust and customizable on the market. ProjectNet's strengths have always been based from the AE perspective of drawing collaboration.
2. Constructware- Largest base of satisfied users (over 12,000) used enterprise wide by JA Jones, Brassfield and Gorie, the Target retail chain, the State of Indiana and most recently, Pepper Construction, who signed on another 2 years after a successful first year of company-wide deployment. Competitive edge includes the ability to mine data across all projects through a killer executive dashboard, new streamlined financial modules and continued aggressive improvements based on user input. If your a contractor shopping the most features per dollar and have a risk control perspective, this is the system for you. Because they are partnered with Microsoft, everything has an easy upload functionality, it works well with Outlook and it is easy to administer. Profitability is expected to improve by the years end, and get this during the current crisis they are actually hiring, having just received a new influx of $4.1 Million from Cordova Ventures.
3. Meridian's Project Talk, has only a few thousand testing the citrix based version of Prolog, But this fall a new improved version has been promised which is greatly anticipated by the growing market of Prolog users that includes notable leaders Bovis, Gilbane and Turner Construction along with thousands of document control-type General Contractors. MPS currently has an established list of 30,000 satisfied users. Experiments with Biztalk and partnering and integrating with JD Edwards, Deltek, Timberline, Bentley and Buzzsaw give them a strong competitive edge as well as having a great control tool for managing construction. Meridian is well versed in stealing unhappy Expedition users and is predicted to show continued revenue growth after the release of their new product this fall. Last summer, Summit Partners granted MPS $13 million in growth Equity Capital.
4. Buzzsaw- Backed by satisfied customers like Ellerbe Becket, Toy-r-us, and Disney, they have the greatest number of users (90,000)and projects (though 38,000 are paying). They claim the largest amount of data stored at exodus, half terabyte daily. Buzzsaw is also aligned with Ariba, who has made strong efforts toward e-commerce (though the subs are not yet ready). It is by far the easiest tool to learn of the big dogs, with E-builder a close second among users surveyed. Financial backers include Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and DPR who used Buzzsaw on the a recent $500 million dollar chip factory. Buzzsaw's edge: flexibility of folder structure and ease of learning.
The big question: Will Autodesk continue to pump in continued capital till Buzzsaw is profitable? and how long will that take?
5. E-Builder - the slowest in the race, but the oldest (begun in 1995) is backed by McGraw Hill's Contruction.com, with greater than 16,000 users. E-Builder is a Project Centric system and offers the competitive advantage of redline chat, constructor cams and a thick cient desktop application. By mopping up the Collaborative structures clients, and the new owner focus, E-Builder is well establish as the pioneer of web based collaboration. Other large users: PCL, Clayco and MGM.
The big question: If McGraw Hill won't put any more money into the system, how will it continue to grow? Slow, but sure I guess.
The idea that promises made must be kept will be a metric all technology vendors will be held to as they struggle to forge ahead in these uncertain economic times and progress to the next chapter in this now slower and steadier technological revolution. Gone are the days of salesman promising "Cradle to grave and End to End" - which I personally applaud.
Most users I correspond with on my research website (www.asptip.com) are disgruntled because of the layoffs in support staff and restructuring. The reduction in the service element of an AsP (emphasis on little 's' of poor service) is what they feel. Last year we had it much easier because there were a great deal of funds and service from sales staff. We pioneers now have our work cutout for us, by taking the initiative to learn and implement these systems.
To be successful, we all must focus on making the benefits of collaboration a reality.
We
all know the growing list of recognized names: Struxicon, Redladder,
Best Route, Contractor Hub, Collaborative Structures, and Iscraper and
even NorthPoint Communications drop by the wayside, many ask: "Who will
survive?" Let's take a closer look at the leading vendors. I hope to dispel the false rumors that everyone is going down. Sure funding is tight and a measure of discipline and rigor has been applied to all the business plans, but that is what all businesses must face in periods of consolidation. As with everything else in the internet world, these issues are amplified.
Analysts agree that the current restructuring, layoffs, cancelled advertising deals and sales force cut backs are a healthy thing - I mean, who wants to return the calls of 15 dotcom vendors a week. More companies kept cropping up that even our consortium of champions on the research sites could keep up with. At least the current quiet gives we industry pulse takers some respite, we all knew that deep inside the past madness had to attend. Now that the VC freakishness has subsided, we can all get busy focussing on real implementation. Getting all the team players using these systems is what it's all a bout. For without everyone's buy-in, these tools will fall by the wayside and we are going to miss one of the most tremendous communication tools ever placed in our lap- instant access to key information from anywhere...
RESTING ASSURED
Let's look at the five top "big dogs" to see where things stand: (We researched who were their large enterprising users, asked what gives them a competitive advantage and why do they expect this provider to be viable in the next 12 months.
1. Citadon- currently deployed enterprise wide by Fluor Daniel, GE Power Systems, Duke and AECOM. Current focus is to keep the large Design-Build users happy by fulfilling each and every commitment made concerning the ProjectNet toolset. Being 4 years old, ProjectNet has a mature web-based system of work flow; the document uploading, cross referencing and viewing ability gives them a competitive edge from the designer's perspective. Current profitability projections are the 1st QTR of 2002. 30,000 users with 1400 projects. Global focus toward large enterprises. Security and folder access structure is the most robust and customizable on the market. ProjectNet's strengths have always been based from the AE perspective of drawing collaboration.
2. Constructware- Largest base of satisfied users (over 12,000) used enterprise wide by JA Jones, Brassfield and Gorie, the Target retail chain, the State of Indiana and most recently, Pepper Construction, who signed on another 2 years after a successful first year of company-wide deployment. Competitive edge includes the ability to mine data across all projects through a killer executive dashboard, new streamlined financial modules and continued aggressive improvements based on user input. If your a contractor shopping the most features per dollar and have a risk control perspective, this is the system for you. Because they are partnered with Microsoft, everything has an easy upload functionality, it works well with Outlook and it is easy to administer. Profitability is expected to improve by the years end, and get this during the current crisis they are actually hiring, having just received a new influx of $4.1 Million from Cordova Ventures.
3. Meridian's Project Talk, has only a few thousand testing the citrix based version of Prolog, But this fall a new improved version has been promised which is greatly anticipated by the growing market of Prolog users that includes notable leaders Bovis, Gilbane and Turner Construction along with thousands of document control-type General Contractors. MPS currently has an established list of 30,000 satisfied users. Experiments with Biztalk and partnering and integrating with JD Edwards, Deltek, Timberline, Bentley and Buzzsaw give them a strong competitive edge as well as having a great control tool for managing construction. Meridian is well versed in stealing unhappy Expedition users and is predicted to show continued revenue growth after the release of their new product this fall. Last summer, Summit Partners granted MPS $13 million in growth Equity Capital.
4. Buzzsaw- Backed by satisfied customers like Ellerbe Becket, Toy-r-us, and Disney, they have the greatest number of users (90,000)and projects (though 38,000 are paying). They claim the largest amount of data stored at exodus, half terabyte daily. Buzzsaw is also aligned with Ariba, who has made strong efforts toward e-commerce (though the subs are not yet ready). It is by far the easiest tool to learn of the big dogs, with E-builder a close second among users surveyed. Financial backers include Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and DPR who used Buzzsaw on the a recent $500 million dollar chip factory. Buzzsaw's edge: flexibility of folder structure and ease of learning.
The big question: Will Autodesk continue to pump in continued capital till Buzzsaw is profitable? and how long will that take?
5. E-Builder - the slowest in the race, but the oldest (begun in 1995) is backed by McGraw Hill's Contruction.com, with greater than 16,000 users. E-Builder is a Project Centric system and offers the competitive advantage of redline chat, constructor cams and a thick cient desktop application. By mopping up the Collaborative structures clients, and the new owner focus, E-Builder is well establish as the pioneer of web based collaboration. Other large users: PCL, Clayco and MGM.
The big question: If McGraw Hill won't put any more money into the system, how will it continue to grow? Slow, but sure I guess.
The idea that promises made must be kept will be a metric all technology vendors will be held to as they struggle to forge ahead in these uncertain economic times and progress to the next chapter in this now slower and steadier technological revolution. Gone are the days of salesman promising "Cradle to grave and End to End" - which I personally applaud.
Most users I correspond with on my research website (www.asptip.com) are disgruntled because of the layoffs in support staff and restructuring. The reduction in the service element of an AsP (emphasis on little 's' of poor service) is what they feel. Last year we had it much easier because there were a great deal of funds and service from sales staff. We pioneers now have our work cutout for us, by taking the initiative to learn and implement these systems.
To be successful, we all must focus on making the benefits of collaboration a reality.
Old habits cannot be thrown out the window; they must be coaxed downstairs, a step at a time -Mark Twain
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