IBM snaps up Unica in $480m deal

News in brief: Big Blue adds marketing automation company to its arsenal

IBM said on Friday that it will buy marketing automation software company Unica in a deal worth $480m.

With the move IBM adds another software company to its arsenal. IBM recently acquired CoreMetrics and Sterling Commerce for its analytics line-up. IBM has said it will spend $20bn on acquisitions between 2011 and 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 behaviour.

IBM's headquarters in Armonk, New York
(Photo credit: IBM)

For more, see IBM buys Unica for $480 million on ZDNet.com.