In a move likely to increase the competition against Salesforce.com software giant Microsoft has acquired software as a service (SaaS)customer service player Parature in a deal believed to be worth US$100m.



From Silicon Republic:

In 2000, Cornell University student Duke Chung and a group of classmates formed Parature in dorm room.

Parature now has more than 70m end users, which include companies like Threadless, Ask.com, Tagged, iWin, Kohler and others. The technology enables users to engage with customers across multiple channels, including email, live chat, help desk, self-service knowledge base and social media.

  Microsoft acquires SaaS player Parature for US$100m