Business Objects posted a strong quarter, rebounding from a weak Q2. The key metric of software license revenue of USD 132M was up 10%, and 9% year over year. There were nine deals over USD 1 million. Operating margin is a healthy 17%. Overall revenue was USD 311 million.
About the only party pooper to be found in the figures is if you dig in to see that the licence revenue growth is mainly in enterprise performance management and enterprise information management, which are heavily influenced by acquisitions. The core business intelligence licences (the bulk of the business) actually shrank by 1% year over year.
The Americas was the star area, up 27%, with Europe up 9% (just 3% if you strip out currency effects) and Asia Pacific 19%. Someone I spoke to at Business Objects in the US this week said that the mood on the ground was very positive, with lots of hiring going on.
Business Objects has also been known for its strong sales and marketing, and this engine seems to be purring along well at preent.
