This week I'm at the Drug Information Association Annual Meeting in Boston where I've been talking to people about all aspects of enterprise content management in the life sciences space including records management, quality management and Web 2.0.

Pretty much everyone I've talked to at the show is looking to do more with ECM. They're looking to go beyond traditional regulated documents, and want to have more focus on contract management and records management, and basically bring all of their content together under one roof so to speak.

I've also been hearing a lot more Web 2.0 talk this year. Conferences like this one give pharmaceutical professionals an opportunity to connect with peers and prospective drug development partners. As we take advantage of these opportunities here this week, we're reminded that the next generation of social networking will enable those relationships to build throughout the year.

New sites and services are being launched that will help connect those in the life sciences community. I met someone yesterday who was launching a social networking tool for drug development companies and professionals.

I've asked myself many times when Web 2.0 will significantly impact pharmaceutical and biotech companies... As I am approached by someone who has been following Open Text on Twitter, I realize that it may be sooner than I thought.