OREANDA-NEWS. Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has acquired Search Technologies, a Herndon, Virginia-based technology services firm specializing in the design, implementation and management of big data and search analytics. Search Technologies delivers enhanced content analytics capabilities that help clients better understand their business, customers and markets through the combination of transactional and contextual data. By applying artificial intelligence (AI) technologies like machine learning to this type of client data, Accenture can help generate new, more precise insights that drive improved business outcomes. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Search Technologies joins the existing community of data scientists and engineers within Accenture Analytics and will focus on developing and industrializing solutions that make unstructured content – from social media to video to voice and audio – easily searchable to support data discovery, analytics and large-scale reporting. Search Technologies employs nearly 200 big data engineers and search experts from locations across the United States, Costa Rica, Europe and the Philippines.

"With the addition of Search Technologies’ capabilities, we are in an even stronger position to help organizations take advantage of their data, regardless of format, to generate more precise and actionable insights," said Narendra Mulani, chief analytics officer, Accenture Analytics. "By better understanding the context and sentiment behind transactions, organizations can deliver better customer experiences and business outcomes. Combining Search Technologies’ data engineering expertise with Accenture’s data science, analytics and AI capabilities enhances our ability to help clients become data-native, intelligent enterprises, transforming the way they innovate, compete and grow."

Search Technologies’ proprietary Content Processing Framework and collection of API-level data connectors – which enable access to unstructured enterprise data across disparate and legacy systems – will be integrated into the Accenture Insights Platform (AIP). This will help clients embed analytics and AI into their business to generate new intelligence at speed and scale.

Kamran Khan, president and CEO of Search Technologies, will lead a new Content Analytics team within Accenture Analytics. Khan commented: "Both search and big data analytics require a deep understanding of the nature of structured and unstructured content, and the know-how to extract knowledge and business value from the data. We have done this successfully for over 800 customers in industries including e-commerce, publishing, media, financial services, professional staffing and manufacturing. Search Technologies’ vision is very closely aligned with Accenture’s, and this acquisition will help us play a major role in building the future of big data, enterprise search and AI as we integrate our capabilities onto AIP and leverage the scale of Accenture to globalize our offerings."

As part of the acquisition, a new delivery center will be established in Costa Rica for the 70+ Search Technologies big data engineers based there. Specializing in customer and content analytics, the team will work closely with the Accenture Interactive digital content production and marketing services team to offer clients complementary services and holistic content offerings, as they seek to deal with the explosion of content across multiple channels. The new location will become part of the Accenture Global Delivery Network.

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 411,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives.

Accenture Analytics, part of Accenture Digital, helps clients harness the power of new data, data science and technology to unlock value and drive transformation. Recognized as a leader by industry analysts, the company helps clients embed analytics into the fabric of their business to create new intelligence using AI, Machine Learning, proprietary algorithms and app-based solutions, all powered by the Accenture Insights Platform. We collaborate with a powerful alliance and delivery network to help clients operationalize within any market and industry with a focus on speed to value. Combining expertise across industries, analytics, technology and design, Accenture is uniquely qualified to drive new business outcomes with precision, at scale.