Borland to dump its development tool business

Borland is selling off its once-core programming tools and plans to purchase testing firm Segue

In a move to distance itself from its development tools vendor tag, Borland has announced it is selling off its integrated development environment (IDE) product set, and plans to purchase software testing specialist Segue Software.

Both announcements are designed to support the firm’s application lifecycle management (ALM) push and its Software Delivery Optimization (SDO) vision.

Borland said that Segue will offer it a range of quality optimisation and performance management products to further extend its position in the ALM space. Segue’s Silk product line will also feature in Borland’s upcoming Lifecycle Quality Management Solution.

Meanwhile, the IDE divestment will see the firm selling off its JBuilder and Borland Developer Studio lines.

Chris Barbin, a senior vice-president at Borland, said that the firm has been shifting its focus from individual software developers to enterprise application development over the past couple of years.

“Selling into the IDE community is very different to the enterprise level in terms of the service and support needed,” Barbin said. “A company our size could be mildly successful in both areas, but we want to be wildly successful in one – the pre-deployment level, from the requirements through testing stage.”

However, it could also be argued that the rise in popularity of Eclipse-based open-source development tools has made it difficult for Borland to sustain its own proprietary business as an ongoing interest.

Barbin said that Borland had already had approaches from three firms regarding an IDE purchase, and expects a few more within the next six weeks, mainly from venture buyout groups and the more strategic ISVs. “It’s likely to be a combination of the two that would be interested [in a purchase],” he added.

The firm also plans to use the next year to try and alter its tools-vendor image. “Over the next six to 12 months, supported by the Segue acquisition, that perception will change,” Barbin argued. “We’ll be more aggressive at talking about how we’ve been improving the software delivery process.” As part of this strategy, Borland will reduce its focus on the channel and concentrate more on the direct sales model targeting IT chiefs, he added.