Microsoft has confirmed its bid to purchase business intelligence (BI) vendor Pro Clarity has been secured, but with no word about the cost.
Details will be released when the deal is signed and full integration takes place in eight months to a year, says Manoj Bhola, server and tool business group manager at Microsoft.
Pro Clarity will continue to trade under its name until Microsoft has ensured all its technology and security needs are matched and met, Bhoola says.
Microsoft`s previous involvement in the BI arena has been through the Analysis Services for SQL Server 2005, which US-based Pro Clarity leveraged off. The server provided the back-end while Pro Clarity provided the front-end.
The original SQL server was developed to use a Microsoft Office front-end.
It now makes sense for the two products to integrate and come from the same stable since Pro Clarity gives the SQL server a face and fills in all front-end gaps, Boola continues.
In addition, Pro Clarity was developed on a Microsoft back-end, he says, so the integration is logical.
With no previous presence in SA, Pro Clarity will now be able to cater to the local market through the integration with Microsoft. Ideally catering for enterprises that handle large volumes of data, the new combined solution will also provide for the large amount of small to medium enterprises in SA, Bhoola says.
"We believe we are playing in a unique BI space in SA."
Looking forward, Bhoola says Microsoft has no further plans to hone in on the local BI market.
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