Microsoft pulls PerformancePoint Server after just 15 months

From InfoWorld: Microsoft said Tuesday that it was folding its business process management (BPM) software, PerformancePoint Server, into its popular SharePoint Server product.

First released in September 2007 , PerformancePoint Server 2007's features will in future be available via client access licenses of the enterprise version of SharePoint Server, said Kurt DelBene, senior vice-president of Microsoft's Office Business Group, in a statement on the company's Web site.

PerformancePoint helps managers budget, forecast, and measure profits and efficiency. It competed with software from IBM , Infor, Oracle, SAP, and SAS Institute , as well as offerings from business intelligence (BI) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendors.

The market for BPM software and services is expected to grow an average of 13 percent per year until 2012, to $3.24 billion, according to Forrester Research.

Microsoft does not have a history of cutting and running on new products. Rather, it is known for doggedly releasing new, refined versions until the software gains market traction.

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