IBM announced Wednesday that it has reached an agreement to acquire the analytics software company Tealeaf Technology.

Terms of the deal, which is expected to close in second quarter of this year, weren't disclosed.

The acquisition is part IBM's Smarter Commerce initiative, which is designed to help businesses automate and infuse more analytics and intelligence into their procurement, marketing, sales and customer service.

The company has invested $2.5 billion since 2010 in the initiative.

San Francisco-based Tealeaf provides management software that records and analyzes a customer's website and mobile interactions with customers. The company's customers include the likes of Dell, Wells Fargo and Expedia.

IBM employs thousands in the Triangle and is one of the region's largest technology employers.

Business software company SAS said today that its revenue increased 5.2 percent last year as IT spending picked up and more corporations turned to analytics to improve performance.

SAS, which makes business intelligence and analytics software that is used to analyze operations and forecast trends, said 2010 revenues totaled $2.43 billion.

The growth was largely driven by the company's business analytics group, which saw revenue increase 26 percent.

SAS is a private company and doesn't release detailed financial information. The company typically releases its annual revenue numbers.

Revenue growth in 2010 was more than double that in 2009.

SAS' workforce in North Carolina increased 4.2 percent -- the company now employs 4,611 at its Cary headquarters. Global head count grew by 2.4 percent to 11,489.

"We are seeing corporations loosening up their budgets," said Jim Davis, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, in an interview this morning. "The economy feels very differently than it did 12 to 18 months ago."