Vocus Acquires Public Affairs Technologies

The acquisition trend in the ASP market continues.

Vocus, a Lanham, Md.-based ASP that offers Web-based software for corporate communications management, today announced it has acquired Public Affairs Technologies Inc (PAT).

Alexandria, Va.-based PAT offers services designed to help public relations and government relations agency track contacts, generate publicity, search editorial calendars, manage press clippings and determine the value of their publicity.

Ties between the two companies date back more than a decard. In 1998, PAT president and CEO Matt Siegal founded First Data Software, the company that would eventually become Vocus. Today’s purchase reunites Siegal with Rick Rudman, president and CEO of Vocus.

While Vocus has transitioned its product to a Web-based architecture, Rudman told ASPnews that PAT is still based on client-server technology. Rudman described PAT as “a smaller shop, with under $5 million in revenue, that has been unable to keep up with technology.”

More attractive to Vocus than PAT’s technology is the company’s customer base. “PAT has been in business for over ten years and has accumulated an impressive base of customers including many top corporations, non-profits and PR firms,” said Rudman. “These large and mid-sized organizations are demanding enterprise software to manage corporate communications. That is the sweet spot for Vocus.”

Vocus reports that it will continue to support existing PAT products. However, customers and prospects will also have access to new software and services from Vocus including global data, international versions with local language support, 24/7 technical support, and new software modules for analytics, campaign management, newsroom content management and broadcast TV monitoring.

“With Vocus and PAT now on the same team we will clearly have the best software along with the best media contacts database, all delivered through a world-class professional services organization,” said Siegal.

With obvious synergies between the two companies, Rudman told that ASPnews that the eventual goal is to convert customers to Vocus’ Web-based platform, said Rudman.

Rudman told ASPnews that while there is some overlap in terms of staffing, he expects to retain 80 percent of PAT’s employees, including Siegal who will join Vocus in an executive capacity. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Vocus is listed by ASPnews as a Top 20 Service Provider.

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