So they're going to data mine the information from your CV, your office software, and your ERP system, and use the result to sell you stuff? I'm not sure I would be looking forward to that.
Leaving the creepy data mining aside though, this sort of acquisition is probably the future direction of Microsoft. Their older products such as Windows are becoming legacy platforms which will fade away as they are undercut by open source commodities.
However, that's a lot of money to pay for a company that Reuters reported was losing money (net loss), not hitting growth targets, and having a tough time outside of the American market. If it was for a fraction of the price, it might make more sense. However, the new tech bubble has inflated the cost of anything "cloud". Microsoft might have been better off keeping their money in the bank and picking up companies cheap after the next tech market collapse. That's what the big oil companies are doing now in the oil industry.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
