The provider of infrastructute software for the enterprise Autonomy Corporation announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire etalk Corporation, a provider of enterprise-class contact center products, for a purchase price of US$70 million payable in a combination of cash and Autonomy ordinary shares, with an opportunity to earn additional consideration payable in Autonomy ordinary shares upon meeting and exceeding certain future performance-related targets.
‘We are very pleased to announce the extension of Autonomy’s IDOL 5.0 platform further into the contact center market with the acquisition of etalk. Autonomy’s IDOL has already been established as the key infrastructure for the automated management of all forms of unstructured information, whether it be text, voice or video. With the integration of Autonomy’s award-winning technology with etalk’s product suite, we believe etalk will be better able leverage its leadership position in the contact center market. Moreover, etalk’s customer base of over 1,500 contact centers and 35 of the Fortune 100 companies will gain access to the world’s leading technology, offering them a competitive edge over any other solution, based on Autonomy’s unique ability to understand the content of the call.’, commented Michael Lynch, group CEO of Autonomy.
Under the terms of the agreement, etalk shareholders will receive at closing consideration of US$30 million in cash (subject to a working capital adjustment) and approximately 10.8 million Autonomy ordinary shares representing approximately US$40 million, for total consideration of approximately US$70 million.
‘We’re extremely excited about this opportunity to deliver a higher level of service to our customers,’ said Scott Shute, etalk president and CEO. ‘As part of our commitment to providing the best enterprise platform in the market, joining with Autonomy enables us to present our customers with a stronger product suite, giving them unmatched insight into their business operations. ‘
Combined Autonomy and etalk products are expected to be generally available within a quarter.
2005-04-21
Em Foco – Projecto