Oracle Acquires Sigma Dynamics

With purchase, Oracle adds real-time predictive analytics to its stable.

Oracle quietly announced Aug. 23 that it acquired the intellectual property assets of Sigma Dynamics, a company that develops predictive analytics technology.

The terms of the deal were undisclosed.

Sigma Dynamics, based in San Mateo, Calif., has software that combines customer insight and business requirements in real time to make recommendations regarding customer interactions. Applications include real-time offer management, field service optimization, predictive call routing and fraud detection.

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The companys applications are built using the same standards-based approach Oracle is touting with its Fusion line of products—Fusion Middleware and Fusion Applications, the latter a suite thats expected in 2008. Sigma Dynamics applications use a services-based architecture using J2EE (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition), XML and Web services standards to collect data in real time using events, according to the companys Web site.

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In an Aug. 23 letter to customers, Oracle said Sigma Dynamics software integrates with CRM (customer relationship management), ERP (enterprise resource planning) and legacy systems to allow companies to continuously adapt business processes—a goal of the SOA (service-oriented architecture) movement under way in IT now.

The companys software is already integrated into Oracles stack, to some degree. Sigma Dynamics has been a Siebel OEM partner since January 2005—when Oracle acquired Siebel for $5.85 billion—and is the foundation for Siebels Real Time Decisions for Call Center, the analytics piece of Oracle Siebel Analytics and Siebel CRM.

Despite a wealth of CRM functionality from its own and acquired applications suites, Oracle is standardizing on Siebel CRM (both on premises and on demand) as it moves forward with Fusion development.

Oracle plans to integrate Sigma Dynamics software with its Fusion applications and sell it as a stand-alone offering as well. The predictive analytics software will also be the basis of "integral components" of Oracle Fusion Middleware, particularly in the area of business intelligence, according to the companys letter to customers.

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