Tacit Software
Encyclopedia
Tacit Software was a company that provides expertise and knowledge search software for enterprises and consumers. It was acquired by Oracle Corp in November 2008, and its assets were rolled into the Oracle Beehive
collaboration platform.,
Tacit was founded in 1997 as Tacit Knowledge Systems by David Gilmour, the founder of Giga Information Group (now owned by Forrester Research
) and was headquartered in Palo Alto, CA.
The company was funded by Draper Fisher Jurvetson
(Steve Jurvetson
was a company director), Woodside Fund, Alta Partners
and the Royal Bank of Canada
(RBC). In-Q-Tel
was also an early investor in the company. The firm was acquired by Oracle in November 2008.
In 2003, Tacit introduced ActiveNet, a browser-based version of KnowledgeMail. In 2003-2004, several additional companies adopted ActiveNet and Tacit’s underlying technologies, including GlaxoSmithKline
, Northrop Grumman
and Lockheed Martin
. Lockheed Martin, for example, picked Tacit over five other expertise location vendors and later rolled the product out in its Space Systems Division. Ron Remy, the Deputy CIO for Space Systems, said, “We had a beryllium-welding problem solved by linking up two people who worked down the hall from each other, and they didn't realize that one had the answer the other one needed to solve this very serious technical problem that was holding up the entire project. We deemed the pilot to be very successful.”
In 2006, Tacit introduced a new product called illumio. illumio made Tacit’s expertise location technology available to everyday Internet users. It was acquired in 2008.
Oracle Beehive
Oracle Beehive is collaboration platform software developed by Oracle Corporation that combines email, team collaboration, instant messaging, and conferencing in a single solution...
collaboration platform.,
Tacit was founded in 1997 as Tacit Knowledge Systems by David Gilmour, the founder of Giga Information Group (now owned by Forrester Research
Forrester Research
Forrester Research is an independent technology and market research company that provides its clients with advice about technology's impact on business and consumers. Forrester Research has five research centers in the US: Cambridge, Massachusetts; New York, New York; San Francisco, California;...
) and was headquartered in Palo Alto, CA.
The company was funded by Draper Fisher Jurvetson
Draper Fisher Jurvetson
Draper Fisher Jurvetson is a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California with affiliate offices in more than 30 cities around the world and over $7 billion in capital commitments....
(Steve Jurvetson
Steve Jurvetson
Steven T. "Steve" Jurvetson is a Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson . He was a Venture Capitalist investor in Hotmail, Interwoven, and Kana...
was a company director), Woodside Fund, Alta Partners
Alta Partners
Alta Partners is a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, CA. The company was founded in 1996 by Dr. Jean Deleage, Ph.D., who was also a founder of the venture capital firms Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. and Sofinnova, together with Garrett Gruener, a former general partner at BEDCO.The company...
and the Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
(RBC). In-Q-Tel
In-Q-Tel
In-Q-Tel of Arlington, Virginia, United States is a not-for-profit venture capital firm that invests in high-tech companies for the sole purpose of keeping the Central Intelligence Agency equipped with the latest in information technology in support of United States intelligence capability...
was also an early investor in the company. The firm was acquired by Oracle in November 2008.
Company history
Tacit’s first product, KnowledgeMail, was released in late 1999. KnowledgeMail was an expertise location system that automatically read email and other documents to form profiles of user interests and expertise.In 2003, Tacit introduced ActiveNet, a browser-based version of KnowledgeMail. In 2003-2004, several additional companies adopted ActiveNet and Tacit’s underlying technologies, including GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
, Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
and Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
. Lockheed Martin, for example, picked Tacit over five other expertise location vendors and later rolled the product out in its Space Systems Division. Ron Remy, the Deputy CIO for Space Systems, said, “We had a beryllium-welding problem solved by linking up two people who worked down the hall from each other, and they didn't realize that one had the answer the other one needed to solve this very serious technical problem that was holding up the entire project. We deemed the pilot to be very successful.”
In 2006, Tacit introduced a new product called illumio. illumio made Tacit’s expertise location technology available to everyday Internet users. It was acquired in 2008.
Intellectual Property
Tacit holds 13 patents. These patents pertain to the following:- Creation of user profiles with public and private components
- Assigning confidence levels to topics as they relate to users
- Methodologies for accessing user profile information
External links
- tacit.com, Wayback MachineWayback MachineThe Wayback Machine is a digital time capsule created by the Internet Archive non-profit organization, based in San Francisco, California. It is maintained with content from Alexa Internet. The service enables users to see archived versions of web pages across time, which the Archive calls a "three...
- PC Magazine: Startup Illumio Asks: Hey, Can You Help Me Find This?
- ActiveNet 3.2 Review
- Application Development Tools: Tacit Makes The Collaboration Connection
- Computerwire: Tacit Puts Process Spin on Expertise Location