企业级软件改走亲民路线
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差旅及报销软件供应商Concur遇到麻烦了，它发现不少用户正在转投别处。许多人选择了面向个人用户的网站制定差旅计划。这些网站不但免费，而且更容易上手。所以，位于华盛顿州雷德蒙德市的Concur痛定思痛，开始收购针对主流人群的应用和网站，试图向它们学习。2011年，Concur耗资1.2亿美元收购了行程管理应用程序开发商TripIt。去年11月，Concur又宣布向提供类似服务的新创企业投资1.5亿美元。无独有偶，为了留住用户，其它企业软件开发商也都在竞购用户友好型软件。【思科（Cisco）是个例外，它剥离了绝大部分个人消费者业务。】以下是一些堪称业界风向标的收购交易。 |
Concur (CNQR), the maker of travel and expense-report software, knows that some of its users have been unfaithful. Many have turned to free -- and simpler -- consumer-oriented sites to book business travel. So the company, based in Redmond, Wash., is taking cues from apps and websites aimed at the mainstream -- by buying them. It shelled out $120 million for trip-planning app TripIt in 2011 and, this past November, announced a $150 million fund to invest in similar startups. Concur isn't alone. Other enterprise-software giants are racing to acquire user-friendly software in hopes of keeping customers from turning elsewhere. (One exception? Cisco(CSCO, Fortune 500), which has divested itself of most of its consumer businesses.) Here are some bellwether acquisitions. |
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Vmware收购SlideRocket 时间：2011年4月 原因：SlideRocket的软件与PowerPoint很像，当时已有25万用户使用该软件制作了1,000多万张演示文稿。 整合方案：Vmware此前已经收购了电子邮件软件开发商Zimbra，而SlideRocket是对这宗收购的补充。 风险：演示文稿并不是虚拟化巨头Vmware的核心业务。收购SlideRocket最终可能被证明纯属画蛇添足。 收购金额：未披露 |
VMware buys SlideRocket When: April 2011 Why: At the time of the acquisition, some 250,000 people had created more than 10 million online presentations using SlideRocket's PowerPoint-like software. How it's being integrated: SlideRocket is now a supplement to another VMware (VMW) acquisition, e mail provider Zimbra. Risk: Presentations aren't central to the virtualization giant's core business. SlideRocket could end up a questionable afterthought. Amount: Undisclosed |
