SAP' s announcement on October 7 that it will acquire business intelligence (BI) vendor Business Objects is creating quite an uproar in the enterprise applications market.
Read SAP press release: SAP to Acquire Business Objects in Friendly Takeover
The initial reaction from investors was not terribly favorable, with SAP shares falling nearly 5% shortly after the announcement.
Read thestar.com article: Investors Snub SAP's Business Objects Bid
Some industry pundits predict that SAP's acquisition of Business Objects will further accelerate the acquisition pace of point solution vendors.
Read InfoWorld article: SAP's Business Objects Acquisition: The death knell for point solutions?
Most enterprise application luminaries agree on the inevitable convergence (and subsequent benefits) of transactional/process management systems and BI analytics.
Read Intelligent Enterprise article: SAP-Business Objects Deal Move Toward Smart Apps
Read Enterprise Anti-matterblog post: Why Did SAP Buy Business Objects?
SAP and Business Objects customers alike are curious and concerned about how they might be impacted by the acquisition, and it may be the case that Business Object customers have more to fear than fear itself.
Read ChannelInsider article: SAP, Business Objects Deal Leaves Market in Turmoil