Business Objects SA will expand the information-delivery capabilities of its business-intelligence applications following its acquisition of United Kingdom's Blue Edge Software Ltd. Business Objects disclosed Thursday that it acquired the privately held company on Dec. 21 for $6 million.

Blue Edge develops applications for the Business Objects platform that uses the Web to deliver or "broadcast" reports to large numbers of users. Business Objects will build Blue Edge's technology into its Broadcast Agent software, which uses E-mail to deliver reports to users, and its InfoView portal software. The development work will be completed by midyear, according to the company.

Portal technology is an increasingly important component for business-intelligence tools. Philip Russom, a Waltham, Mass., independent analyst, says the Blue Edge technology will boost InfoView's capabilities. "InfoView is somewhat rudimentary," he says. Blue Edge's workflow software that helps users sort through many reports for the information they need is also a good addition to Business Object's product line, he says.

But while Business Objects says Blue Edge's technology can extend business intelligence to "hundreds of thousands" of users, Russom says most business-intelligence software deployments are in the 3,000- to 5,000-user range with the largest deployments around 10,000 users.

Blue Edge has 14 employees, most of whom are developers who will join Business Object's staff. The company's customers include athletic footwear maker Adidas, mobile phone retailer The Carphone Warehouse, and Abbey National, the United Kingdom's sixth-largest bank.