Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Database
    • Database

    Business Objects Expected to Buy SRC

    By
    Dennis Callaghan
    -
    July 20, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Business intelligence software developer Business Objects SA announced plans Wednesday to acquire planning and forecasting software developer SRC Software Inc., a departure from the companys previously stated strategy to remain focused on BI.

      The all-cash acquisition is expected to close later this quarter and is valued at approximately $100 million.

      In SRC, Business Objects will get a company that develops applications for planning, budgeting, forecasting, reporting and scorecarding, across both departments and vertical industries, including financial planning, retail, healthcare, hospitality, insurance and manufacturing.

      Based in Portland, Ore., SRC was founded in 1995 and has about 1,200 customers, with annual revenues in the $25 million to $30 million range, according to Business Objects CEO Bernard Liautaud.

      “This [acquisition] is consistent with our strategy to be the sole provider of business intelligence in the enterprise and develop a strategic relationship with our customers,” said Liautaud, in San Jose, Calif.

      “You have to have a full solution for all elements of performance management. In order to have a complete solution in [business performance management], you need to have planning and budgeting.”

      Liautaud said the deal would give Business Objects more access to CFOs at companies and allow it to win larger and more strategic projects as well as compete more effectively in the midmarket.

      But the acquisition required Liautaud to backtrack on previous comments hes made that Business Objects did not need an offering for financial planning and budgeting, though chief rivals Cognos Inc. and Hyperion Solutions Corp. both had products in that area.

      In an interview with eWEEK last fall Liautaud said that Business Objects was content to let customers choose their financial budgeting and consolidation applications and would provide metrics and scorecarding applications to run on top of them.

      “Were a BI company—we dont need to do anything else beyond BI,” Liautaud said at the time.

      /zimages/1/28571.gifClick here to read more from the interview with Liautaud.

      He further suggested in that interview that Cognos, which bought planning and budgeting software company Adaytum Inc. in 2002, had “lost their soul” by extending beyond BI into that area.

      Liautaud defended his companys acquisition Wednesday by pointing out that SRC offered technology for enterprise-wide planning, not just financial planning.

      But he gave little explanation for his change of heart, beyond conceding that the timing was just better for Business Objects to move beyond the BI space since it had completed the integration of technology acquired from Crystal Decisions Inc. in 2003 with this years XI release.

      “I think today we feel that were entering the [BPM] market at the right time for us,” he said. “We feel we had to establish leadership in the BI space and now we have a strong platform. Its important not to do everything at the same time.”

      Liautaud rejected suggestions by financial analysts that Business Objects was late to the BPM market.

      “If Hyperion and Cognos say were late, it doesnt matter,” he said. “We have today a much stronger offering, thats integrated, it works already, and its superior to what those two companies are offering. Were moving into territories we couldnt play in before, the competitive landscape is moving in our favor.”

      Business Objects has a partner relationship in place with SRC, and Liautaud said the products already are well-integrated, though he intends for SRC to be run as a separate business unit with Business Objects.

      “We feel very good about the level of integration we have at this point,” he said.

      “We have seamless workflow between planning, reporting and dashboarding. Going forward, there are a number of things in XI we intend to leverage and put more power in the platform, but well do that over time. Right now nothing prevents us from selling this as a fully integrated product line.”

      Dave Marmer, vice president of field strategy and support at Cognos, maintained that Cognos has a “three-year-lead” on Business Objects in delivering an integrated performance management offering.

      “I congratulate Business Objects on making a needed acquisition and keeping up with the market,” he said, in Burlington, Mass.

      /zimages/1/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest database news, reviews and analysis.

      Avatar
      Dennis Callaghan

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×