Open Text acquires Microstar, adds XML

Continuing its growth-through-acquisition strategy, Open Text has agreed to purchase all the outstanding shares of Microstar Software, a provider of structured information management solutions.

Open Text had earlier indicated a desire to grow through acquisition with its rebuffed takeover bid for PC DOCS/Fulcrum, now owned by Hummingbird Communications.

The addition of Microstar's SGML and XML technology and services will help Open Text customers adopt the company's Livelink platform more easily across their extranets, according to Tom Jenkins, CEO of Open Text.

"Microstar has a great deal of experience in the government sector and this is also a great benefit for our government customers," he added.

According to The Delphi Group, Microstar presents a very specific technical competence and focused customer set -- much like OnTime's calendar and scheduling technology, acquired by Open Text last year -- and possibly points to a future business direction for Open Text.

"With XML rapidly becoming the lingua franca of e-Business, look for Open Text to leverage Microstar expertise to expand their business target from collaborative knowledge management to a full enterprise e-Business model," said Delphi.

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