Big Players Crowd Business Intelligence Software Market

He now refers to the Business Objects "platform" and says he is focused on developing an "end-to-end" stack that integrates data integration, querying tools, a portal, as well as analytic applications.

Most of the company's new applications will be homegrown, he said, although the business intelligence sector will continue to consolidate. Last year Business Objects acquired privately held Acta Technology for its data integration capabilities.

Although Liautaud professes not to be overly concerned about the Microsoft threat, he (and a number of analysts) suggest that privately held Crystal Decisions, which specializes in lower-end reporting tools, has more to worry about. Some analysts say Actuate (ACTU Quote), which focuses on large-scale reporting applications, is also threatened.

Business Objects itself has been mentioned as a takeover target, but Liautaud, who founded the company in 1990 after leaving Oracle, has no interest in being acquired. "It's his baby," says an associate.