Stacy Cowley

IBM Corp. has agreed to acquire content integration software maker Venetica Corp., a move that continues IBM's pattern of snapping up its business partners to augment its software portfolio.

Cisco Systems Inc. said Monday it has agreed to acquire Sunnyvale, Calif., software developer P-Cube Inc. in a cash-and-options deal Cisco valued at US$200 million.

Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS) is beginning to implement a new vendor-relationship strategy emphasizing deeper alliances with fewer vendors. On Monday, it plans to name Siebel Systems Inc. as the first company with which it is forging a closer partnership.

Oracle Corp. plans to release the latest version of its customer relationship management (CRM) applications within the next two months, as part of an ongoing update of its E-Business Suite.

In early 2003, the supply chain writing was on the wall. Executives at J.R. Wood Inc., a privately held, US$135 million frozen fruit vendor, knew they would need to update their IT systems to more efficiently enable electronic transmissions about product shipments to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

The Liberty Alliance trade group announced several new members Monday, including Oracle Corp. and Sharp Laboratories of America Inc. The three-year-old organization now boasts more than 150 members, with some of the IT industry's top vendors signing on for full participation in recent months, including Intel Corp. and Computer Associates International Inc.

Business Objects SA released an upgraded version of its "business intelligence" software suite Tuesday, featuring deeper integration with the reporting tools it picked up last year through its acquisition of Crystal Decisions Inc.

After launching in a blaze of hype early last year, Microsoft Corp.'s CRM (customer relationship management) software is on a slower-than-expected development path, frustrating some partners and customers.