Historically, Mindjet’s MindManager information mapping tool has been used predominantly by individuals as a productivity tool, that literally helps them map out their ideas in a visual way. It is currently available as a standard client-side install, or it can be run in thin client mode if companies also use Windows Terminal Server or Citrix Metaframe Presentation Server.
But it’s not currently possible to install the software on a shared network drive and have users run it directly from there. This, and the ability for multiple users to open the same MindMap and have varying levels of read/write privileges based on their role in the company, will be addressed with the server launch in the third or fourth quarter. With that launch, said Gordon, MindMapper becomes a really powerful tool for visual collaboration across teams in all sorts of areas.
Gordon said that MindJet will also launch an Apple version of its software in the first quarter of next year. It currently runs only on Windows, though it does also support Windows mobile with the MindManager X5 Mobile version.
Another area where Gordon said further news is likely is for the MindManager Accelerators, said to bring the visualization capabilities of MindManager to other enterprise applications. The first of these, MindManager Accelerator for salesforce.com, was launched in February and is said to give salesforce.com customers Map Dashboards that enable sales people to more easily exploit their CRM data.
MindJet was earlier this week able to announce that it has closed a $15m second round of funding, led by existing investor 3i and Investor Growth Capital (IGC). Mindjet said it will use the money to build that collaborative capability into its MindManager software, as well as support geographical expansion.
Meanwhile recently hired UK managing director Dustin Newport told ComputerWire that the company is also working on a much lighter, browser-based MindMap Viewer. Much like Adobe’s Acrobat Reader which enables users to read Acrobat PDF documents without purchasing the full version of Adobe Acrobat, Newport said the browser MindManager viewer will be a free download that enables users to read MindMaps but not create them.
The company already has a reader product, the MindManager X5 Free Viewer, but it’s really just a stripped-down version of the full product. The new viewer to be launched in June will solve the problem, and is hoped to help to make MindMaps far more pervasive among both MindManager and non-MindManager customers.
Mindjet claims to have sold over half a million licenses of its software and counts Siemens Group, SAP, BMW and HP as customers. The company says it grew its revenue 60% last year and is profitable. We could IPO today, Gordon said, but then again in the last two or three years people have looked lovingly at other privately-held companies like SAS. We’re in 3i’s top three investments now, and we want to build some more value into this company before we talk about an IPO.
