IBM said Friday it will buy Unica in a deal worth $480 million. Unica makes marketing automation software.
With the move IBM adds another software company to its arsenal. IBM recently acquired CoreMetrics and Sterling Commerce for its analytics lineup. IBM has said it will spend $20 billion on acquisitions through 2015.
Under the terms of the deal, IBM will pay $21 per share in cash for Unica. Unica shares closed at $9.55 on Thursday. IBM said it will take Unica's software to better target marketing efforts and predict consumer behavior.
Big Blue has been increasingly targeting its analytics portfolio at key marketers. Unica counts Best Buy, eBay and Starwood as customers. Unica has both traditional and on-demand software products.
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Here is IBM Press Release