IWay Software is acquiring Actional Corp.'s adapter software business for an undisclosed sum. The move, disclosed Tuesday, will strengthen iWay's already formidable position in the market for software used to link disparate applications, databases, E-commerce systems, and other software. Actional will now concentrate on its Web-services management software.

IWay, a subsidiary of Information Builders Inc., is acquiring all intellectual property and licensing agreements covering Actional's adapter software. The product line, which is particularly focused on adapters for high-volume transaction processing, includes the Soapswitch, Actional Control Broker, and Object Bridge adapters.

The acquisition will boost iWay's presence in international markets and provide the vendor with more adapter products for Microsoft's BizTalk Server and .Net software. It will also strengthen iWay's relationship with SAP, with whom Actional and iWay have development alliances.

IWay also is acquiring 22 Actional employees associated with the adapter business, including development and support teams in Montreal; Mountain View, Calif.; and on the SAP campus in Waldorf, Germany.

The privately held companies have signed a definitive agreement for the deal and expect to complete the transaction in a week to 10 days. The dollar amount of the deal wasn't disclosed, although company executives said it was about equal to Actional's sales for one year.