Worldwide business intelligence (BI) platform, analytic applications and performance management (PM) software revenue reached $10.5 billion in 2010, an over 13 per cent rise from 2009 revenue of $9.3 billion, according to research firm Gartner Inc.

The four large 'stack' vendors - SAP, Oracle, IBM and Microsoft - continue to consolidate the market, owning 59 per cent of the market share. In the BI platform and CPM suite segments, they hold close to two-thirds market share, while in analytic applications SAS dominates the market, Gartner said in a press release.

�In 2010, the global resurgence from stimulus packages, general improvement in the macro-economy, and new product releases contributed to a surge in BI software spending. BI spending has far surpassed IT budget growth overall for several years, and it's clear BI continues to be a technology at the center of information-driven initiatives in organizations,� said Dan Sommer, principal research analyst at Gartner.