Oracle to buy RightNow Technologies

Just six days after revealing its intention to buy Endeca, Oracle has also announced an agreement to acquire RightNow Technologies, a provider of cloud-based customer service. RightNow's Customer Service Cloud is said to deliver quality customer experiences whether through call centers, the Web or social networks.

According to the announcement, Oracle will buy RightNow for $43 per share or about $1.5 billion net of RightNow's cash and debt. RightNow's board of directors has unanimously approved the transaction, which is expected to close by early 2012, subject to RightNow stockholder consent, regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Thomas Kurian, executive VP, Oracle Development, says, "Oracle is moving aggressively to offer customers a full range of cloud solutions including sales force automation, human resources, talent management, social networking, databases and Java as part of the Oracle Public Cloud. RightNow's leading customer service cloud is a very important addition to Oracle's Public Cloud."