Software AG has announced that it will <A HREF="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2111572,00.asp?kc=EWWSUEMNL041107EOAD">acquire WebMethods</A> in a deal worth $546 million.

Software AG is Europe's largest systems software and SOA (service-oriented architecture) software provider; WebMethods also focuses on SOA and Web-services technology, as well as overall, enterprise-application-integration technology and business-process management.