Why Google would dump $ 2.6 billion on an analytics company



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Despite rumors of an antitrust investigation pending from the Department of Justice, Google continues to develop. Today, the company 's cloud computing division has announced that it would disburse $ 2.6 billion for the business intelligence and analytics company Looker. This is the first major purchase by Google Cloud's new CEO, Thomas Kurian, who joined Oracle in November.

It may seem odd that Google, the world's largest data decrypter, needs to buy a business data analysis product. But IDC analyst Dan Vesset says Looker is filling a hole in Google's current portfolio. Google 's public analytics tools are either developer – driven, such as its cloud – based artificial intelligence tools, or specialized tools, such as Google Analytics, that allow users to search and understand. analyze web traffic. It also has some database management tools and storage services. "But Google did not really have a front-end tool allowing business analysts to decide and dice the data," says Vesset, at least not useful for large companies. In this sense, Looker does not compete with existing Google services, but rather with products from companies such as Oracle, SAP, Microsoft and IBM. Amazon, the largest cloud services provider, has its own business intelligence service called QuickSight.

According to Forrester analyst Boris Evelson, Looker stands out that unlike legacy business intelligence products, Looker products are designed to take advantage of newer, more robust data storage platforms, such as Google's BigQuery system. . This allows it to focus on other important components such as modern user interfaces. According to Vesset, business intelligence software is a $ 12.7 billion market that, according to IDC, is expected to grow by approximately 10% over the next five years. "Now, with the influx of Google resources, I would expect Looker to become even more competitive," Evelson said.

Google could have created its own business intelligence service, but acquiring Looker could be a faster way to access the market. "Google is very well known in the consumer business, but it does not have as much presence in large companies," Evelson said. "The Looker's beautiful place is big business."

As big as Google is, it still wants to be bigger.


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