The SAS Institute is the world’s largest private software company and among the best places to work. But SAS’s specialty, a lucrative niche called business intelligence software, is becoming mainstream. Free, open-source alternatives to some of the company’s products are increasingly popular. On the other end of the spectrum, the heavyweights of the software industry — Oracle, SAP, Microsoft and, especially, I.B.M. — are plunging in and investing billions of dollars.
At a Software Powerhouse, the Good Life Is Under Siege
November 22, 2009