Sterling Commerce Inc, the spin-off from Sterling Software Inc and provider of electronic commerce software and services, has gone back top its former parent and acquired its international operations supporting its Gentran messaging and Connect data security products. The two companies had been operating under a three-year marketing and services agreement for Sterling Software to sell and provide support for the two products in Europe, Asia and Latin America since Commerce was spun out last September. But the agreement has been cut short after less than a year. No terms were disclosed. The other variable in this deal is Sterling Software’s acquisition in April of Texas Instruments Software for $165m. Yesterday’s agreement frees up Sterling Software to concentrate on managing it’s own products internationally, as well as at home, rather than Sterling Commerce’s as well. About 160 Sterling Software employees are moving over to Commerce, and the company is also promising to hire a further 100 people ion all the international regions.
