IBM buys Web analytics software company

IDG News Service - IBM will purchase privately held Coremetrics, a provider of Web analytics software, the company announced today. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

IBM will add Coremetrics to its portfolio of business analytics software and services.

Coremetrics, based in San Mateo, Calif., offers a set of cloud analytics services that helps companies better market their brands. The service can help companies get e-mail pitches and personalized recommendations to the appropriate customers, and use customer analysis to place ads on the most-suitable networks and better manage the purchasing of search terms.

Coremetrics customers include Bank of America, Holiday Inn, Office Depot, Petco, Victoria's Secret and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

IBM has been busy acquiring companies of late, particularly those that focus on data management. In May, it announced that it would purchase cloud-based data integration provider Cast Iron, as well as middleware provider Sterling Commerce.

Coremetrics employs about 230 people, who will be integrated into IBM. The software will be folded into IBM's line of application and integration middleware. The deal is expected to close later this year.