Keysight Technologies has announced its acquisition of digital automation intelligence company Eggplant, in a transaction reportedly valued at US$330 million.
The move sees Keysight strengthen its presence in the automation space, with the aim to further establish itself in the automated software test market across both the physical and protocol layers and into the application layers.
It will also bring about increased solution differentiation with its expanded, the company says.
"As a recognised leader and trusted advisor in layer 1-7 design and test, Keysight is excited to add Eggplant's test capabilities for the software application layer, aligning with our strategy to grow our first-to-market software-centric solutions," says Keysight chief executive officer Ron Nersesian.
"We're thrilled to welcome the Eggplant team to the Keysight family and look forward to working together in the fast-growing intelligent software test market with differentiated software-as-a-service technologies.
The chief executive officer of Eggplant John Bates, who oversaw an annual revenue of $38 million last year, will join the Keysight leadership team reporting to Soon Chai Gooi, president of Keysight's Electronic Industrial Solutions Group.
Eggplant's software uses artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics to automate both test creation and test execution. The company says its digital automation intelligence platform can test any technology on any device, operating system or browser at any layer, from the user interface (UI) to application programming interfaces (APIs) to the database.
Eggplant's strong AI credentials indicate Keysight's drive to accelerate its digital transformation, which the latter says is critical for businesses to remain competitive and relevant.
The increasing thresholds and standards in regulations in modern technology spaces have also created a need for digital product testing software, which can ease the rising regulation complexity and reduce time-to-market.
By using artificial intelligence and analytics to automate testing, Eggplant enables improved software application development velocity and enhanced quality, driving competitive advantage and differentiation.
The company's customers span a wide range of sectors overlapping Keysight's existing customer base while expanding software test opportunities into new end-markets.
"Joining forces with Keysight gives Eggplant the ability to scale our intelligent automation platform and reach more organizations across the globe," says Eggplant chief executive officer John Bates.
"We share a vision to accelerate innovation and together we will be able to help customers on their digital transformation journey.
"We're proud of what we've accomplished through our employees and partners' contributions, and we're excited about this next chapter," says Bates.
