Intershop Buys Content Management Biz
San Francisco, CA-based Intershop, a provider of sell-side e-commerce applications, has acquired Subotnic GmbH. Berlin-based Subotnic offers Internet-based content management software that can be integrated with e-commerce systems.The acquisition allows Intershop to add content-integrated commerce functionality to its flagship application suite, Intershop enfinity. Subotnic 1.0, currently under development, will provide a modular content management system for enterprises engaging in e-commerce. With the Subotnic product, companies will be able to manage commerce-specific content directly on Web pages through an intuitive user interface. Subotnic 1.0 will allow companies to generate, distribute, and automate personalized content independent of media channels and formats through dynamic content exchange, component-based re-use, multimedia, and multichannel support. Like Intershop enfinity, Subotnic 1.0 is based on industry-wide standards, such as Java, EJB (Enterprise JavaBeans), XML, and ICE.By integrating content management into its sell-side applications, Intershop is meeting a burgeoning demand—that for content management integrated into e-commerce solutions. Research firm and consultancy Ovum predicts that the worldwide content management market will grow to $5 billion by 2004, with the commerce-specific content management market growing to $2.3 billion.