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In many analysts' diaries, 2003 will go down as the year when the enterprise content management (ECM) sector finally left adolescence behind. But not without a great of trauma - for both users of content management software and the suppliers.

Just take a look at the list of suppliers in that sector that lost their independence or ceased to exist during the year: iManage, Divine/Eprise, Ixos, Obtree, Documentum and Gauss Interprise.

After the dust has settled, four major vendors have been left standing - FileNet, EMC (Documentum), Interwoven and Open Text. And in October, it was Waterloo, Ontario-headquartered Open Text's turn to show it could amass the breadth of product offerings and the sheer bulk to justify its position in that top tier.

Its two acquisitions certainly give it a much broader portfolio. In a deal valued at $200 million, the company bought Ixos, a specialist in document output management and archiving software - products that are largely for users of enterprise applications from SAP. With Ixos, it also inherits two of the German company's acquisitions - ECM company Obtree and workflow software vendor PowerWork.

Despite its own expansion, Ixos still lacked key document management capabilities including flexible versioning, process customerisation, authoring, collaboration and compound document support. With its strong heritage in document management, Open Text already offers such functions.

Aside from buying Ixos, Open Text also went to Germany in October to plug another gap in its portfolio, acquiring web content management software vendor Gauss Interprise.

In terms of size, the acquisitions help confirm that Open Text is in the top league where all of the major players generate around $150 million in software sales annually.

But for many customers, the rapid consolidation that has separated them from the pack is a mixed blessing. Prior to its acquisition, Gauss, for example, was sinking fast. It reported a 31% fall in revenues in the first six months of 2003 to EU10.3 million. For sure, Gauss customers such as BMW, Korean Air and USA Today will be reassured that the company has found a more stable home. But like others whose products are caught up in the buying frenzy, they will be concerned that subsequent rationalisation will induce an enforced product migration or at least a dwindling of commitment on the part of the new owner.

Despite applauding the broadening of the Open Text line-up, analysts are voicing concerns over integration challenges the company now faces.

"Substantial product rationalisation will occur as a result of Open Text's acquisitions," say analysts at Gartner. "Among the component Open Text has now built or acquired, it has three or more document management and web content management applications," they observe. "[The company] will phase out certain content management products and customers will have to migrate from some products." Open Text now needs to clarify which will be integrated, which supported and which dropped, says Gartner.

Maturing of the content management game is not over. Other vendors may enter the market through the acquisition of some of the remaining second-tier companies, but the list of potential targets gets shorter by the week.