I've been on vacation so I missed this announcement when it came out. HP has not been particularly focused on security so this wasn't an acquisition that seemed obvious at first. However, according to HP, this acquisition is complementary to the business process optimization strateg since it adds "quality management services" to its technology portfolio. This isn't exactly a leap in the dark for HP - they've been partners with SPI for the past 5 years and are very familiar with their products.

SPI Dynamics has been at the helm of web application security lifecycle tools for quite a while, carving out a leadership position in this niche. Their products focus on detecting vulnerabilities and assessing security of web applications from development to deployment.

This acquisition could signal an interest in market for application security assessment tools vendors . Other smaller, less established players like Fortify are still out there to be had.

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This has nothing to do with security and it's hardly breaking news at this point since happened at the end of last week, but since I have some familiarity with Software AG, I thought I'd take a couple of minutes to comment on this.

I think it's a bold move by Software AG and it's the kind of move they need to make if they want to be a player in the SOA/BPM market. Notwithstanding Beth Gold-Bernstein's comments about SAGA (late 90s - 2001) as a prior Software AG foray into the US market, it actually was not. SAGA was a wholly independent, public company traded on the NYSE. Software AG had no notable operating interest in the company.

This is a completely different play - Webmethods is a leading player in SOA/BPM. This is Software AG staking a claim on the SOA/BPM US market by buying up one of the leaders in the space. It provides a base platform upon which they can add other complementary acquisitions. Webmethods brings some customer mass, brand recognition and a footprint in North America from which they can continue building a sizeable business. On all her other points, Beth is absolutely right - this is exciting movement in the BPM/SOA market.

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