IT News in Brief - 4 June

Gentia buys TCMS tools

Gentia Software, which sells business intelligence tools to support ‘balanced scorecard’ management techniques, bought Technical and Computer Management Services for #1.3m last month. TCMS is a 24-strong consultancy with offices in Slough and California that specialises in Web-based analytic applications and balanced scorecard implementations.

Piracy hits jobs

The UK software industry will generate sales of #6.4bn over the next four years, according to a survey conducted for the Business Software Alliance by Price Waterhouse. The survey warned, however, that Europe’s 43% average piracy rate was harming job creation and depriving the government of tax revenue. If it could be reduced to the US level of 27% for 1996, the industry could have made #1.1bn more in that year, creating 24,721 more jobs and #463m more in tax income.

Oracle grabs PW’s Activa Oracle has bought the rights to the Activa activity-based costing program written by Price Waterhouse. Oracle did not disclose the terms of the acquisition, but will hire the majority of the development team and begin selling Activa immediately.