12/6/99 Computer Reseller News 26
1999 WL 26062629
Computer Reseller News
Copyright 1999 CMP Publications Inc.
Monday, December 6, 1999
872
News
Informix To Buy Ardent Software
Barbara Darrow
Menlo Park, Calif.-Informix Corp. plans to buy Ardent Software Inc.,
a maker of data-management and integration software.
The stock deal, disclosed last week, is worth an estimated $880
million, the companies said.
This pact comes a little more than a month after Informix finished
its buyout of Cloudscape Inc., an Oakland, Calif.-based company founded
by former executives of Informix, Illustra Information Technologies
Inc., Oracle Corp. and Sybase Inc.
Informix, a maker of databases and database tools, billed both
purchases as providing key parts of the company's i.Economy thrust.
This most recent deal and the previous buyout of Cloudscape show
Informix is turning around, analysts said.
The company was rocked two years ago with the departure of Chairman
and Chief Executive Phil White after a disastrous third quarter in
1997. Since that time, Robert Finocchio has stepped down as chief
executive and president but remains chairman. Jean-Yves Dexmier has
taken over as chief executive and president.
Judith Hurwitz, president of The Hurwitz Group, Framingham, Mass.,
lauded the deal. "Ardent is an interesting company with strong
data-warehousing expertise. Informix is trying to re-create itself so
it's not a traditional database player because that market is crowded
with powers like Oracle, Microsoft [Corp.] and IBM [Corp.]," she said.
Mitch Kramer, an analyst with The Patricia Seybold Group, Boston,
said this pact means Informix has put some of its hurdles behind it. The
move "indicates that Informix has become whole enough and healthy enough
to acquire technology, as opposed to shedding technology, and also
establishes them within the data-warehousing market more solidly," he
said.
Ardent brings with it tools to provide back-end support for creating
data warehouses, Kramer said.
December 06, 1999
---- INDEX REFERENCES ----
COMPANY (TICKER): Informix Corp.; Ardent Software Inc.; ORCL; Sybase Inc. (IFMX ARDT ORCL SYBS)
NEWS SUBJECT: World Equity Index; Corporate Actions (WEI CAC) |
