Microsoft Buys Out Proclarity

Microsoft announces the acquisition of Proclarity. ProClarity’s solution includes ProClarity Analytics Server (PAS),which augments Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services and works in association with Microsoft Office Business Scorecard Manager, Microsoft Office Excel and Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server. Microsoft’s BI strategy has always been aimed at broadening the reach of business intelligence by providing an easy and integrated user experience for accessing and working with business information so that decision-makers at all levels in an organization. This acquisition will help accelerate Microsoft’s business intelligence strategy. The upcoming release of the 2007 Microsoft Office system significantly increases and broadens Microsoft’s investment in BI, and this acquisition deepens that investment, providing functionality that includes additional advanced analysis and visualization technologies as well as business-logic-driven “guided” analysis. The acquisition builds on Microsoft’s recent progress expanding its BI offerings, from the introductions of SQL Server 2005 and Office Business Scorecard Manager 2005 to the forthcoming BI capabilities within the 2007 Office system releases of Excel and SharePoint. Being small and losing money, the only option for Proclarity was to get acquired by Microsoft. With this Microsoft gains a strong reporting technology - and most importantly is now directly positioning to pitch against mainstream BI vendors Business Objects and Cognos. Good move by Microsoft.