IBM, the IT giant, has agreed to buy Cognos, the last remaining independent business intelligence software group, for $5 billion.

Business intelligence software is used to sift the vast amounts of data collected by companies in the digital age to glean insights — such as potential cost cuts or sales opportunities. The sector is seen as a key growth area for database companies facing maturing core markets.

Last month, SAP, the German business software giant, announced the acquisition of Business Objects, the Franco-American rival to Cognos, for €4.8 billion in cash.

Shares in Cognos had soared by more than a quarter in the wake of that deal, on speculation that the group would also fall to the wave of consolidation sweeping the software market.

In March, Oracle, the most highly acquisitive group in the sector, snapped up Hyperion, a smaller business intelligence group, for $3.3 billion (£1.6 billion).

IBM’s acquisition of Cognos comes as the group battles to safeguard its software division — the fastest growing and most profitable unit for the world’s largest IT services group.

IBM agreed to pay $58 a share for Cognos, a 9.5 per cent premium to the Nasdaq-listed group’s closing price on Friday.

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