Business News

Business Objects joins the growing list of software companies offering virtual appliances compatible with the VMware infrastructure.

Business-intelligence software never makes it past the wish list at many companies. Why? Because of the time and commitment it takes to install and get the software working right. It’s an even bigger problem at smaller businesses with limited IT resources.

Several tech vendors earlier this year introduced BI appliances; boxes that are pre-configured with business intelligence software and ready to go. But that doesn’t get around the annoyance some IT shops have with that approach — you’re stuck with yet another box to fit into the data center.

Now BI appliances are going virtual. Business Objects, the largest pure-play BI vendor, announced this week its first virtual appliance, which it will sell both direct and through VMware’s Virtual Appliance Marketplace. A business with a virtualization infrastructure in place can install a pre-configured, pre-optimized version of Business Objects Crystal Decisions, including a ready-to-go database, and the proper security protocols, on any available box in its data center. More of the company’s offerings will be available as virtual appliances next year, the company said.

The search engine stalwart aims to improve its behavioral-targeting capabilities–and catch up to its peers.

Yahoo! announced Tuesday its intention to acquire BlueLithium, an online advertising network provider, for $300 million in cash. The deal, which is expected to finalize before the end of the year, is seen a move by the search giant to improve its own online ad network and to boost total revenue, and comes as the company has been slipping compared to top competitors Google, Microsoft, and Time Warner’s AOL.

“What Yahoo! is looking to do is increase its reach across properties outside of the Yahoo.com world and [purchasing BlueLithium] certainly does help them do that,” says Emily Riley, an analyst at JupiterResearch. While Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo! does have its own behavioral targeting capabilities, which also monitor search behavior, Riley adds that it will rely on the technologies of BlueLithium to help “measure behaviors outside [Yahoo!'s] own network, or serve ads outside [its] network. So this gives [the company] that wider reach outside the Yahoo! properties that [it] was looking for.” With this capability, Yahoo! can even measure online customer behavior of its partner sites.