SAP Furthers its Ecommerce Platform with hybris Acquisition

SAP acquires hybris ecommerce technology; Ayla Networks launches an "Internet of Things" platform and raises $5.4 million; and cloud security company SilverSky acquires StillSecure's Managed Security business.

SAP to acquire hybris. SAP announced that it plans to acquire hybris, a provider of e-commerce technology. With hybris, SAP can deliver the next-generation e-commerce platform, with the choice of on-premise or cloud deployment, as enterprises around the world seek to optimize the customer experience for businesses and consumers. The combination of enterprise solutions from SAP with the agile omni-channel commerce solutions of hybris will provide enterprises with the enhanced data and tools necessary to optimize margins and customer loyalty. 

"hybris puts SAP on the leading edge of the consumer economy,” Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe, co-CEOs, SAP AG, said in a statement. “With hybris, SAP has made a decisive move to raise the stakes in customer relationship management and define the next generation customer experience."

Ayla raises $5.4 million and launches IoT platform.  Ayla Networks announced the Ayla Platform, which allows manufacturers and service providers to transform thermostats, appliances, lighting and other everyday products into interactive connected devices quickly, easily and economically. The Sunnyvale, California-based company also announced that it has raised $5.4 million in Series A financing led by investors Voyager Capital and Crosslink Capital. The Ayla Platform consists of three distinct components: production-class Ayla-enabled Wi-Fi modules and IP gateways, Ayla’s cloud service for managing devices on behalf of manufacturers and consumers, and Ayla application libraries. Ayla has forged an ecosystem that includes world-class elements from leading companies such as Broadcom Corporation, STMicroelectronics, and Amazon Web Services. Ayla’s technology supports a wide variety of standards and platforms, including Android, iOS, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Linux and others. 

“The Internet of Things will dramatically expand the scope and size of the Internet as we know it today. Some estimate that 50 billion new devices will connect to the Internet by 2020,” said Thomas Lee, co-founder of Ayla. “But it won’t be possible without a solution for the real challenges manufacturers and consumers have. That is why we started Ayla, and this is what we are bringing to market.”

SilverSky acquires StillSecure division. Cloud security solutions provider SilverSky  announced today it has acquired the Managed Security Services division of StillSecure, a Colorado-based managed security services and certified compliance provider. With the addition of StillSecure’s technology portfolio, security analysts and engineers, SilverSky can provide its fast-growing customer base with an enhanced suite of cloud-based offerings – including a new Log Archiving solution and Web Application Firewall service. StillSecure customers and partners will also benefit from SilverSky’s unmatched scalability, its widely acclaimed Security Operations Center (SOC) and its world-class team of expert security professionals and practitioners. 

“StillSecure’s world-class team, innovative technologies and services fit perfectly into SilverSky’s portfolio and existing customers of both companies stand to benefit greatly through this acquisition,” said Tim Harvey, CEO, SilverSky. “This deal allows us to further realize our strategic objectives for expanding our product portfolio and broadening our domain expertise to further assist our customers and partners.”