Interwoven Inc. is acquiring iManage Inc. to extend collaboration capabilities across the Interwoven content management platform and add intelligence and distribution capabilities to document management.
The deal, which was announced this month and valued at about $171 million, builds on a long-standing relationship between Interwoven, which develops content management software, and iManage, which develops document management and collaboration software.
The two companies in February announced a joint offering, available since April, that added iManages WorkSite MP product for collaborative document management to Interwovens content management offerings. The acquisition cements that relationship and is the second Interwoven has made this year. Interwoven, of Sunnyvale, Calif., acquired digital asset management software developer MediaBin Inc. in June.
Combined, Interwoven and iManage, of Foster City, Calif., will have more than 2,500 customers. iManage has a strong customer base in professional and financial services, while Interwoven is strongest in manufacturing and consumer goods, Interwoven officials said.
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Martin Brauns, Interwoven CEO, said customers were demanding more comprehensive solutions developed by a single vendor. Brauns said law firms would be a key vertical target for the combined company.
The companies plan to integrate iManages collaborative technology with Interwovens MetaTagger content intelligence server software to improve the ability to personalize and find relevant content. They also plan to link iManages scalable content repository with Interwovens OpenDeploy content distribution software to distribute collaboratively developed documents and corporate knowledge, officials said.
The integration of MetaTagger with iManages WorkSite MP should be particularly useful to law firms doing discovery, said Bob Markham, an analyst with Forrester Research Inc. “Youll be able to tag documents so you have access to them without having to do a full-text search. Its very powerful,” said Markham, in Alexandria, Va. He said the iManage deal is necessary for Interwovens long-term survival.
The deal is expected to close by next quarter.