FileNet’s shares shot up amidst speculation that larger vendors – notably IBM Corp [IBM] or Oracle Corp [ORCL] – could make a bid soon.
However, the company refuted it could be the next big takeover target after seeing enterprise content management (ECM) rival Documentum Inc [DCTM] becoming the target of storage giant EMC Corp [EMC] and Open Text Corp [OTEX] tabling a bid for Ixos Software AG [XOSY] earlier this month.
On the contrary, the company said it was on the lookout to buy smaller companies with complementary technologies, although it would be prepared to listen to any serious offers.
The ECM sector continues to experience acute consolidation and is set to follow a similar track as the relational [structured] database market that is now dominated by three large players – IBM, Oracle, and Microsoft Corp [MSFT].
This all follows in the wake of Canadian ECM rival Open Text Corp snapping up its third German-based software vendor in as many months. The target of the Ontario-based firm this time was privately held SER eGovernment, Berlin, and its subsidiary SER Solutions Software GmBH of Salzburg, Austria.
On October 21 Open Text announced its intent to buy Frankfurt-based Ixos Software in a deal valued at around $234 million, which is Open Text’s largest buy. In August it bought Hamburg-based Gauss Interprise AG for $11 million.
This article was based on material originally published by ComputerWire.
