Cognos agrees to purchase by IBM

Canada's largest software developer, Cognos, has agreed to a $5 Billion buyout by IBM. The move comes on the heals of similar deals for Cognos competitors Business Objects by SAP and Hyperion Solutions Corp. by Oracle. "We chose Cognos because of its industry-leading technology that is based on open standards," said Steve Mills, senior vice-president in IBM's software group. CBC has more here.

Software as a Service - SAP first biggie to throw hat in the ring

The Globe and Mail is reporting that SAP has unveiled a line of business management programs to be delivered via the Web. Ovum researcher David Mitchell is quoted as having written the following about the service “A1S takes SAP much closer to a more purist model of software as a service than it has previously attempted, and is likely to become a very significant part of the SAP portfolio in the years ahead,”. According to The Globe and Mail, SAP is the widely regarded as the world's top developer of "business software, which helps companies manage accounting, inventory control, shipping, sales and marketing."