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Big Blue's Software Spending Spree

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the corporate-sized-shopping-carts dept.

abb_road writes "IBM has gone on an aggressive acquisitions spree for document management packages in the past three weeks, spending more than $2 billion to pick up two companies. The companies, Webify and FileNet, are expected to become part of IBM's Information on Demand strategy. The acquisitions point to a larger industry trend: a focus on software for unified corporate data management. From the article: 'It's a crucial time to jockey for most-valuable-software-provider status, because companies want to buy more from fewer players, and they're tired of buying stand-alone pieces of software like customer-relationship management that don't fix real-world business problems. The new message to software vendors: Fix my call centers, don't just sell me a product. As a result, the lines are starting to blur between software companies that offer, say, Internet security, databases, and tools to manage nearly every part of the business. So, too, are the lines between service companies and software companies.'"

3 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. Worthless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I can't believe the money keeps flowing into IT, no document management solution is worth $2 million, let alone $2 billion. How long would it takes a team of 20 average slashdotters to code a full featured document management system? Let's say 2 years at $1 million each salary per year. Who here earns anything like $1 million a year?

    Don't even think of telling me that IBM are buying customers or market share! It's painfully obvious that the market is overvalued.

  2. Re:Or... by Anonymous+Monkey · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Puts on Troll Foil Hat and says...I think IBM isn't the only crazy player in this field, because businesses are trying to fix something with software that is broken on the human side of things.

    Every job I have ever had has a pattern with IT: Our people aren't sharing information or documenting their work properly, lets spend X to upgrade our computers...Our people aren't sharing information or documenting their work properly, lets spend X2 to upgrade our computers...Our people aren't sharing information or documenting their work properly, lets spend X4 to upgrade our computers...and so on.

    People need to start being more organized before any data-management software dose a bit of good.

    --
    We are the Borg...
  3. Re:Or... by novus+ordo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Reminds me of this .

    --
    "You're everywhere. You're omnivorous."