Big news in the social intelligence world: Two of the larger listening platforms become one as Visible Technologies acquires Cymfony. You can read more about the acquisition here. 

From my perspective, this is a smart move for both Visible Technologies and Cymfony. Although they have overlapping backers, the real benefit comes from their complementing offerings. Visible Technologies has its Visible Intelligence platform — one that receives consistent praise from end users for its usability, functionality, and data quality. But while Visible Technologies provides a strong tool set, the vendor has had some trouble growing internationally — both within its technology offering and in research and consulting services.

In an almost-exact contrast, Cymfony has one of the stronger international offerings — through its services and data sourcing — but its dashboard and technologies lagged behind the market's evolution. Combining Visible Technologies' dashboard with the support of Cymfony's services and international strength should create a powerful union.

Congratulations to both parties. I am — and I know both vendors' many clients are — eager to see what comes of this acquisition.