Vacation would be great if nothing happened while I'm away from my desk, but that never seems to be how it works for me. Just as I left for a break on July 14, Accenture announced the purchase of Duck Creek. And then last week, Vertafore reaches out and nabs StoneRiver followed by Sapiens buying not one but two companies—FIS and IDIT.
When I wrote the article on Accenture buying Duck Creek on July 14, I asked a few analysts whether this would be the start of a run on vendors. Karen Furtado of Strategy Meets Action responded: "There very well could be another one or two, but I don't think there will be a domino affect."
Well, she was right about another one or two—although I don't think Karen believed two more acquisitions would take place within a week.
Which leads me to wonder, is there going to be a domino effect? Are we just getting the tip of the software consolidation iceberg?
The fact that three major deals take place within a week of each other tells me there is more going on than we all expected. Certainly Accenture, Vertafore and Sapiens are big players in the market, but they are hardly alone in their eagerness to amass more customers.
I don't want to bet against Karen, but I have a feeling things are just heating up and the final five months of 2011 will be extremely active in terms of software vendors merging or acquiring other software vendors.
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Looking for ways to use social media? Progressive Insurance has added another through its relationship with Weather Central. The new service sends text messages to Progressive customers when a hail storm or other severe weather threatens an area where a Progressive customer works or lives. Progressive customers can sign up for the service at the carrier's Website.
For all of you wondering what social media can do for your business, this is just one example. Sure, there are dozens of ways for people to learn there is a weather emergency headed their way, but the point that Progressive and others are making is not to tell people how to get this information, but to offer it in ways that customers will use it.
Certainly text messaging is a preferred form of communication for millions of people. I'll be surprised if this is not a hit with some Progressive policyholders.
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