HiT Software Acquired by BackOffice Associates

Published: May 11, 2010

by Alex Woodie

HiT Software, a developer of database connectivity and replication software for i/OS and other platforms, has been acquired by BackOffice Associates, a provider of master data management (MDM) and data quality tools that provides expertise for data governance projects and ERP migrations. BackOffice was particularly interested in HiT's change data capture (CDC)-based database replication software, called DBMoto, which fills a functional gap in BackOffice's product suite.

BackOffice Associates is not a household name in the IT business. Yet, the South Harwich, Massachusetts, company has been quietly building a solid reputation in the field of MDM, data quality, and data governance. Saving Fortune 500 companies millions of dollars tends to have that effect.

The 350-person firm is well positioned to help large companies address the problems of poor data quality and duplicate data with its collection of 70-plus tools, as well as its established expertise in the field of SAP ERP migrations. You can read more about the company's unique approach to data quality problems, as well as its interaction and support of System i ERP systems, in a recent profile of BackOffice Associates published in this newsletter.

The key element that triggered the HiT Software acquisition (they were business partners before) was HiT's cross-platform database synchronization tool, DBMoto, said HiT Software founder and CEO Giacomo Lorenzin during a press conference held last week at the COMMON conference in Orlando, Florida.

DBMoto is a Windows-based data replication tool that uses CDC functions to parse through database logs and replicate data in real time among more than 20 different relational database management systems, including IBM's DB2/400, DB2 for LUW, Informix, Cloudscape, and SolidDB; Microsoft's SQL Server and Access; Oracle's Oracle 11i and MySQL; Sybase's ASE and SQL Anywhere; CA's Ingres; PostgreSQL Global Development Group's PostgreSQL; Gupta's SQLBase; and FirebirdSQL.

With DBMoto in the BackOffice Associates lineup, the vendor will gain a powerful tool for executing the integration or migration of relational database management systems as part of ERP migrations. (Considering the shelf-life of some i/OS-based ERP systems and the global momentum behind migrations to SAP, this could be a shrewd move on BOA's part.) Alternatively, DBMoto's CDC it could be used as the engine behind a MDM initiative or data governance projects.

DBMoto is not the only arrow in HiT's quiver. The San Jose, California, software company also sells a series of database connectivity tools for connecting DB2/400, DB2 LUW, and DB2 for z/OS via ODBC, JDBC, OLE DB, and ADO.NET. The company's Allora product line provides XML and XSL data transformations. Its SafeConduct security line provides SSL encryption for Java and Windows applications.

Lorenzin says he is thrilled to be part of a bigger ecosystem with BackOffice Associates. "The combination of BackOffice Associates' extensive solutions and HiT Software products will give customers more innovative, far reaching capability than ever before," Lorenzin says. "BackOffice technology is five to 10 years ahead of other providers in the marketplace and now with the addition of HiT technology, BackOffice will continue to move products into the marketplace customers only dream about today."

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Lorenzin, who is now managing director of the HiT Software business line, says BackOffice Associates will turn HiT Software's San Jose headquarters into its West Coast office.

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