CDC Software Corporation ("CDC Software"), a wholly owned subsidiary and software unit of chinadotcom corporation, recently announced that it has submitted a signed, definitive agreement to acquire Pivotal Corporation ("Pivotal") by way of either an all-cash or a cash-and-stock transaction.

Pivotal is a leading international Customer Relationship Management (CRM) company that provides a complete set of highly flexible, powerful CRM applications and implementation services for mid-sized enterprises, with over 1,600 clients worldwide.

The proposed acquisition of Pivotal represents an important part of CDC Software's strategy to establish its position as a leading international provider of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software products and services, with a focus on the export manufacturing sector. CRM applications are a critical component of an extended ERP product offering, and Pivotal's broad suite of marketing, sales, service and partner management capabilities complement perfectly with CDC Software's existing ERP, Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Human Resources and Payroll product offerings, which currently have limited CRM functionality. With the addition of Pivotal as its CRM platform, CDC Software will continue to implement its strategy of focusing on acquisitions with high margins and recurrent revenue streams in the mission-critical software solutions sector.

chinadotcom notes that there is no assurance that Pivotal will accept its offer.