Virtualization software maker VMware delivered stellar fourth-quarter sales and earnings this week, but analysts are already laying odds on which software companies it will acquire this year as it builds out its platform-as-a-service (PaaS) strategy.

Technology investment research firm 451 Group this week offered up a list of potential takeover candidates, including the likes of Chordiant Software (NASDAQ: CHRD), a Cupertino, Calif.-based developer of customer relationship management (CRM) applications; Terracotta, a San Francisco-based open source developer of applications that support virtualization and cloud computing; and Skyway Software, a Tampa, Fla.-based developer of an open source, Java-based development environment on the SpringSource platform.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based VMware (NYSE: VMW) recently has shown it's not averse to inorganic growth. In August, VMware acquired SpringSource, a Java Web development and middleware vendor that's central to the open source Spring Framework used and supported by numerous Java middleware vendors, including Red Hat JBoss and IBM Websphere.

Earlier this month, VMware snapped up Zimbra, Yahoo's open source e-mail collaboration unit.

Read the full story at Datamation:
More Acquisitions Ahead for VMware?