IBM looked set to trigger another round of consolidation among the world’s largest makers of business software on Tuesday as it announced an all-cash $1.2bn acquisition of SPSS, a company whose technology is used to analyse and forecast customer and market trends.
The deal also brings an intensification of the mergers and acquisitions wave that has started to sweep across the technology sector, as cash-rich companies take advantage of the downturn to make strategic acquisitions that round out their product ranges.
