IBM acquires Cognos

This just in: IBM has announced it will buy BI vendor Cognos Inc. for $5 billion cash. I wonder if the timing of the announcement right at the start of OpenWorld is in retaliation for Larry Ellison’s quip about IBM — “a pig with lipstick” — at the conference a few years ago?

The plot thickens! Stay tuned here at SearchOracle.com and our sister site SearchDataManagement.com for complete coverage of the purchase and its implications.

UPDATE : We’ve posted an article analyzing why IBM is acquiring longtime partner Cognos and outlining the implications for the business intelligence and performance management industry, customers and buyers.