Massachusetts-based Progress Software is acquiring Actional, a privately-held provider of Web services management (WSM) tools for service-oriented architecture (SOA) applications, in a cash and stock deal worth $32m.
Under terms of the deal, Progress will grant about 160,000 stock options to the 38 Actional employees who will be transferred. The company also says it may issue 1.1 million shares of common stock to cover the cost of the acquisition, the balance of which will be paid in cash.
California-based Actional will be become part of Progress's Sonic Software unit upon completion of the acquisition.
Progress says the Actional and Sonic products may be used independently of one another, or combined to support the entire SOA lifecycle.
"ESB and WSM complement each other perfectly," says Greg O'Connor, president, Sonic Software.
"Actional WSM technologies add system and process-level visibility as well as policy enforcement to Sonic's product mix, allowing Sonic to address a much wider range of customer needs as they implement their SOA strategies," he adds.
The Actional business is the latest in a spate of tactical acquisitions by Progress Software over the past year, and follows the takeover of middleware outfit Neon Systems and algorithmic trading firm Apama.