IBM Extends M&A Spree

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- IBM(IBM) snapped up privately held information management software firm PSS Systems Tuesday. The acquisition will allow Big Blue to break into the legal market within its existing information life-cycle governance portfolio, Ron Ercanbrack, vice president of enterprise content management at IBM, told TheStreet.

The deal also comes on the heels of IBM's acquisition of compliance and risk management sofware company OpenPages in September, signaling that Big Blue wants to invest heavily in the legal space.

The Mountain View, California-based PSS System's software analyzes data governance policy and disposal of information, and is targeted toward CIOs and legal officers. PSS clients include General Electric(GE) and ConocoPhillips(COP). Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Together, IBM and PSS Systems can help business mitigate legal risk and reduce costs with routine information disposal," said CEO of PSS Systems Deidre Paknad, in a press release. "Poor visibility and ad hoc controls cause companies to over-retain information and significantly overspend on information management, litigation and e-discovery."

The PSS deal marks IBM's fourth acquisition in less than a month. Besides OpenPages, the company acquired data warehousing specialist Netezza for $1.7 billion in September, followed by privately held switchmaker Blade Network Services for a rumored $400 million.

IBM's purchase of PSS falls in line with its previous acquisitions as Big Blue looks to extend and expand its current analytics capability through software buys, said Canaccord Genuity analyst Eyal Ofir.

"This acquisition combined with Neteeza shows IBM is looking at analytics as a very big area of focus," he said. "They've already acquired business intelligence software company Cognos and bought PSS using the same thought process."

IBM was up 0.88% to $141.07 in midday trading.

--Written by Olivia Oran in New York.

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