2
a portal-as-service offering in 2009, several,
including IBM, offer ways to exploit the cloud
in conjunction with their horizontal portal
solutions. Mitigating revenue cannibalization
will be a challenge for long-standing horizontal
portal vendors launching software-as-a-
service (SaaS) initiatives.
While Google has yet to specifically target
the horizontal portal space, end-user interest
in this vendor’s intentions remains high.
However, enterprises looking for a portal-as-
a-service solution shouldn’t limit their search
to the megavendors. Covisint delivers identity
and access management and horizontal
portal features as a portal-as-a-service.
Organizations evaluating portal functionality
generally consider vendors with experience
in business applications or software
infrastructures. In some cases, this heritage
dictates areas of functional strength and
weakness that are important to consider
in any evaluation. Selecting a horizontal
portal product requires a careful vendor
evaluation to make appropriate trade-offs
among functional capabilities, architectural
fit and strategic direction. Use Gartner’s
Magic Quadrant in combination with other
tools, including analyst consultations, when
selecting a horizontal portal.
This Magic Quadrant for horizontal portals
evaluates 12 vendors, the same number
of vendors as in 2008. Open Text replaces
Vignette, based on its acquisition of that
vendor, and Open Text indicates that it
intends to carry forward with Vignette’s portal
technology. As of 15 September 2009, Oracle’s pending acquisition
of Sun Microsystems remains unclosed, so Sun continues to be
treated as an independent entity for the purposes of this analysis.
STRATEGIC PLANNING ASSUMPTION(S)
By 2011, Gartner expects at least 15% of new enterprise portal
projects in Global 2000 firms to use open-source horizontal portal
frameworks.
By 2014, horizontal portal products based on portal containers will
be used for no more than 60% of new enterprise portal projects.
MAGIC QUADRANT
Market Overview
The horizontal portal market experienced two major consolidation
waves from 2001 to 2003 and from 2005 to 2007. It now seems
that a third, more-moderate vendor consolidation started in 2008,
driven by Oracle and Open Text. After acquiring BEA Systems
in 2008, Oracle announced a deal to acquire Sun in April 2009.
While Open Text previously acquired portal and enterprise content
management (ECM) vendor Hummingbird in 2006, it didn’t pursue
Hummingbird’s portal technology. With its acquisition of Vignette,
Open Text gets a second chance to pursue the horizontal portal
space, and Open Text has indicated that it intends to continue
The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted September 2009 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a
marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner’s analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by
Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those
vendors placed in the “Leaders” quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner
disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
© 2009 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction and distribution of this publication in any form without prior written permission
is forbidden. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy,
completeness or adequacy of such information. Although Gartner’s research may discuss legal issues related to the information technology business, Gartner
does not provide legal advice or services and its research should not be construed or used as such. Gartner shall have no liability for errors, omissions or
inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretations thereof. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.
Figure 1. Magic Quadrant for Horizontal Portal Products
Source: Gartner (September 2009)
challengers leaders
niche players visionaries
completeness of vision
ability to execute
As of September 2009
Microsoft
IBM
Oracle
SAP
Liferay
Covisint
BroadVision
Fujitsu
Tibco Software
Red Hat JBoss
Open Text
Sun Microsystems