Infor acquires Orbis Global to boost marketing software clout
Summary
The Orbis deal is the latest in a long series of purchases that have built Infor into an enterprise software powerhouse with about $3 billion in revenue. CEO Charles Phillips, who is known for his role leading a similar run of purchases while co-president of Oracle, has also sought to modernise Infors technology stack and approach to development since coming aboard in October 2010. But buying Orbis, which sells SaaS (software as a service)-based products, is about "building front office capabilities, because thats where the money is," said analyst Ray Wang, CEO of Constellation Research. In addition, Orbis has superior marketing analytics than those present in Epiphany, according to Wang. At the broadest level, Infors move speaks to the "shift from transactions to engagement with customers that most companies are trying to accomplish," Wang added.
