We have been very pleased with the market reaction to our recent acquisition news.  Here is a quick snapshot of what we are hearing:

Axeda Wants to Connect - Buys Questra In the current economic climate we find ourselves in, the call is for sustainable service business models - models that can adapt quickly to changing times and assist service or manufacturing firms in providing exemplary preventive maintenance or break / fix service while still keeping a tight leash on service costs. As such, interest in these solutions is high - a primary reason why the recently announced acquisition of Questra by Axeda is extremely significant in the steadily growing RPS space.

Axeda's Acquisition of Questra - The Smart Services Technology Market Begins to Take Shape - Manufacturing companies have begun to invest in the ability to deliver smart services to their customers...As a result, the vendor community in this emerging space has been enjoying considerable growth.

Axeda Acquires Questra - Michael Maoz, vice president and distinguished analyst, Gartner, Stamford, Conn., agrees the acquisition will benefit both companies. "It's something that can help bring these two companies better ability to focus as one unit on the opportunity out there and to really grow the concept in the minds of buyers." Listen to live M2M Radio Interview with Axeda CEO, Dale Calder & Peggy Smedley  

Merger Combines Two M2M Pioneers - Jockeying for position in a fast-moving market, machine-to-machine (M2M) provider Axeda Corp. this week acquired competitor Questra Corp., establishing itself as a leading provider of remote after-market services.

Market for midsize acquisitions picks up - After slowing substantially in the first half of this year, the market for small and midsize acquisitions is showing signs of life, as companies with cash - or access to cash - take advantage of the downturn to roll up competitors or extend their product lines.

2008 has been a pretty amazing year for the Remote Service industry.

In spite of, or perhaps because of, a very difficult macro-economic environment, Axeda has experienced its best year ever - with very strong new customer acquisition and growth.   I attribute this phenomenal expansion of our business to the very strong ROI remote service solutions bring to the companies that adopt them.  A strong ROI, combined with On-Demand delivery, which eases deployment, have enabled an entirely new population of companies to realize the benefits that industry leaders such as EMC and GE have enjoyed for years.

Putting a cap on a great ‘08, was Axeda's acquisition of Questra.  By combining the two remote service industry leaders, we have created a very strong, global player that will even better serve our industry.

Last Thursday, we held a conference call to discuss the Questra acquisition.   To put it mildly, we were overwhelmed with the response we received from it.   In attendance were over 100 participants.  A 10-minute presentation was followed by over 45-minutes of Q&A.  Given the extensive Q&A, I decided to utilize some of this blog space to recap some of the most popular items.   

Q:  What will be the future of the Questra software platform?
Axeda intends to support the Questra platform for the foreseeable future.   As a long-term player in this industry, we understand the mission critical nature of your remote-service platform and will do everything in our power to ensure your long-term success.   

Q:  When will your long-term technology roadmap be ready?
We will have our joint technology roadmap ready by January 9^th.

Q:  What are your "design" objectives with your technology roadmap?|
Our design objectives are simple.

1. Questra and Axeda agents will both be supported by our next generation enterprise platform
2. We are targeting the following:
   -Database migration for all existing enterprise systems
   -SOA layer compatibility for all existing enterprise solutions

In addition, we have had many requests for SQL Server support since the close of the acquisition - this is something that we are in the process of evaluating and will have a position on January 9^th.

Q:  Will my Questra agents be supported in the future?
Our customers, both on the Axeda and Questra platforms, have put significant effort in installing and validating agents in the field.  All agents will be supported in the future by our future versions of our enterprise solutions.

Q: Can I continue to purchase agents for my existing Questra implementation?
Yes.  For existing customers we will continue to support purchases of the Questra platform, including both additional agents and enterprise capabilities.

Q: Is there a specific timeframe under which I must upgrade my system?No.  We will work very closely will all parties to develop remote service program roadmaps that are appropriate for their businesses.

Finally, I want to thank everyone for a great 2008.  At Axeda, we understand that we must work very hard every day to earn the trust that you have placed in us!

Happy Holidays!