Microsoft Completes Acquisition of IT Project Management Firm

Published: January 25, 2006

by Alex Woodie

Microsoft has completed its acquisition of the assets of UMT, a New York City-based provider of IT portfolio and project management software and services. Microsoft obtained UMT's Portfolio Manager Software Suite, a collection of modules designed to help organizations keep better track of the costs and benefits of IT projects. Microsoft also obtained all intellectual property related to the suite, and UMT retains its services business. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Microsoft plans to incorporate its newly acquired portfolio management capabilities into the next generation of Office, which Redmond calls "Project 12." The company says the new software will bolster the server-side capabilities of Project 12's enterprise project management functionality by helping organizations gain greater business visibility and insight into all their work, and by helping them make decisions about which projects and initiatives to fund (and which ones to drop).

There's evidence of solid adoption of IT portfolio management technology, according to information on UMT's Web site. The company cites a META Group study that found 40 percent of all IT projects fail to deliver their intended results, which could have a hand in why technology executives have the lowest average tenure of any executive-level position (just 14 to 16 months).