So I’m taking a break at the AIIM conference, when someone asks to joins me.  Within a few moments I’m getting their pitch, “We’re an enterprise content management (ECM) company focused on the Global 500.”  I look at his badge to see a vendor name I don’t recognize.  In twenty years I learned so many vendor names that I’ve turned those lists into a malaprop, (mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect) twice.  Then he slips, and the word “mainframe” comes out.  This market is so convoluted.  Ten years ago I got a similar pitch and the 50 year old enterprise document management (EDM) company sold physical file folders and filing cabinets.

Why is everyone trying to sell “Enterprise Content Management” to the “Global 500”?  It’s like when you put out several bowls of dog food for your…