Should you believe everything you read in a blog?
By Peter O'Neill
Or …. Opalis NOT Acquired By Microsoft
We
analysts always tend to want to be the first on the stage with impending news
and blogs are a perfect medium for getting information out as quickly as
possible. In fact, blogs can even sometimes be just a little ahead of the news
it is predicting, and are sometimes held responsible for the said event. That
is why financial analysts, when they blog, always disclose their portfolios in
relation to the companies mentioned in the blog.
the IT
management software and operations communities have been buzzing the last weeks
about reports that Microsoft acquired IT process automation vendor Opalis Software. As we have been receiving
numerous inquiries on this news item, we went after this story and can now unequivocally
confirm that this rumor is incorrect. So, as my illustrious colleague, Glenn O’Donnel
will report in another Forrester Blog for the IT Operations professional, Opalis has NOT been acquired by
Microsoft. It remains an independent entity, at least for now.
Opalis
continues to be an attractive proposition larger vendors seeking to add strong
process automation to their portfolios and many have expressed interest. It has
also repeatedly reported
impressive revenue growth over its short history, so its success probably allows
Opalis to command a high premium that no suitor has yet been willing to pay.
It has
built several tight partnerships, including one
with Microsoft and this rich ecosystem positions Opalis as a viable
standalone vendor. Of course, as we report in our market overviews, the onus is
on Opalis to continue innovating aggressively to retain its desirability and
prevent commoditization. So far it has been successful at keeping its
innovation edge. If it slips, so will its valuation and that will certainly
accelerate an acquisition.
Regardless
of its stamina on the innovation treadmill, we do believe someone will
eventually consume Opalis. It is premature to say who will prove to be that
successful shopper. It may be Microsoft, but at the moment, that has not
happened.
Always keeping you informed!
Peter
