Deals done this past week


10 Oct 2011

An overview of the week in deals in the Irish and global technology sector.

An overview of the week in deals in the Irish and global technology sector.

RIM acquires Irish software company NewBay – report

BlackBerry creator RIM has reportedly acquired Irish software company NewBay in a deal worth US$100m and will keep NewBay’s current headquarters in Dublin, which employs 200 staff.

Founded in 2002, NewBay develops software for mobile phones, PCs and tablets, which delivers digital content.

Its LifeCache platform powers cloud-based services to store and share digital content to any internet-connected device. It’s made up of a suite of products which lets its operators and companies deliver user content services, such as social networking, photo and video albums and converged messaging services.

These solutions can be integrated with third-party services or can become a part of a user content ecosystem. LifeCache is used by 80m subscribers globally.

IBM acquires Q1 Labs – will target US$94bn opportunity

IBM has acquired Q1 Labs, a Massachusetts-based security intelligence software provider that employs 50 people in Belfast. IBM will merge Q1 Labs into its Security Systems Division.

Brendan Hannigan, CEO of Q1 Labs, is to lead the new division.

The new division will target a $94bn opportunity in security software and services, which has a nearly 12pc compound annual growth rate, according to IBM estimates.

Q1 Labs will join the more than 10 strategic security acquisitions IBM has made in the last decade and the more than 25 analytics-related purchases, including the recently announced acquisition of security analytics software firm, i2. 

Q1 Labs’ advanced analytics and correlation capabilities can automatically detect and flag actions across an enterprise that deviate from prescribed policies and typical behaviour to help prevent breaches, such as an employee accessing unauthorised information. 

HP completes Autonomy buyout

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has completed the stg£7.8bn buyout of Autonomy Corporation.

Autonomy shareholders have accepted HP’s previously announced offer to purchase the entire share capital of Autonomy at stg£25.50 per share in cash, representing about 87.34pc of the current issued share capital of Autonomy. As such, all conditions relating to the offer have now been satisfied, allowing HP to acquire control of Autonomy.

The acquisition positions HP as a leader in the large and growing enterprise information management space.

Autonomy’s software offerings power more than 25,000 customer accounts worldwide and, as part of HP, will provide business solutions to help customers manage the explosion of unstructured and structured information.

Autonomy offers solutions that are complementary across HP’s enterprise offerings and strengthens the company’s data analytics, cloud, industry and workflow management capabilities.

ICON plc in cloud-based clinical data deal with Oracle

Dublin-based clinical research player ICON plc has teamed up with the web-based Oracle Life Sciences Data Hub, which will enable it to standardise and more efficiently manage hundreds of ongoing clinical studies online.

ICON has created a central, global, web-based repository that will enable it to standardise processes and facilitate analysis of clinical trial data, driving increased efficiency across the business. By building a single, global integration and reporting platform, ICON will have the foundation in place to store and analyse all clinical data more efficiently and effectively.

The solution, which enables ICON to monitor and control the chain and custody of data, will support regulatory compliance. Oracle Life Sciences Data Hub provides enhanced audit trails to ensure compliance with 21CFR Part 11 regulations.

Using Oracle Life Sciences Data Hub, ICON can integrate multiple data sources and systems to provide discipline, structure and a more efficient process for collecting, cleaning and analysing clinical data across ICON’s global operations.

Quest Computing in Malaysia Multimedia University deal

Dublin technology company Quest Computing has won a major contract with a prestigious Malaysian university that will use its software to manage grant allocations.

Quest Computing’s AIMS system is an enterprise-wide grant and knowledge management platform for government bodies that are looking to make and manage grant and funding decisions. It controls all aspects of the funding process, from initial application to assessment, funding, authorisation, payment and monitoring.

Built on the Oracle 11g database system and various open-source technologies, it allows organisations to provide web access to applicants and provides bodies with budgeting and reporting business intelligence.

Quest managing director Don Kingston told Siliconrepublic.com that the deal with the Yayasan Multimedia University of Malaysia will provide an important boost to the company, which sees expansion opportunities in the global market.

UCD moves student email to Google Apps in four-year deal

UCD is moving its email and calendaring for almost 22,000 students to Google Apps as part of a four-year contract that’s expected to save the university close to €250,000.

The new service replaces the university’s student email service, which had previously been based on Sun hardware. The email addresses haven’t changed as a result of the handover, retaining the same firstname.lastname@ucdconnect.ie format.

Brian Morrissey, head of web services at UCD’s IT services team, said Google’s mail environment provides more storage – 25GB per student compared to 7GB, without the cost overhead of having to run the additional equipment. Student timetables are now integrated with their Google calendars, providing an instant view of their schedules.

Google Docs is also set to become an important component of the service, Morrissey confirmed.

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