Business Objects is stepping up its efforts in the area of corporate performance management software with an acquisition and the integration of some existing applications with its business intelligence suite.The company said on Tuesday its U.K. subsidiary has agreed to buy Armstrong Laing, which makes profitability management software, for about 30 million pounds (US$56 million) in cash. It expects to close the deal by the end of the year, subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions.Performance-management software helps big companies with sales, payroll, staffing and capital expenditure planning. Business Objects said its license revenue from such products jumped 70 percent in the first half of the year from the same period in 2005. Armstrong, better known as ALG Software, has about 400 customers including American Express, British Airways and Heineken, and had total revenue last year of about $19 million. Its customers use its software for profitability management, activity-based costing and business performance measurement.Business Objects has also completed a two-year project to integrate its performance-management applications with its data analytics suite, BusinessObjects XI. Many of the applications were acquired in 2005 when it bought SRC Software for $100 million. The integration means customers can take data from the planning, budgeting and other performance-management applications and combine it more easily with the reporting and analysis tools in BusinessObjects XI. The applications are aimed mostly at financial companies and finance managers at big businesses.Business Objects has dual headquarters in Paris and San Jose, Calif. ALG Software is a privately held company with headquarters in Atlanta and offices in Cheshire, the United Kingdom.-James Niccolai, IDG News Service (Paris Bureau)Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe