Opalis Software, a Toronto-based private company that specializes in IT process automation, was acquired by Microsoft in Dec. 2009. Integration of Opalis software with Microsoft's System Center systems management products will allow System Center to operate with other infrastructure software from BMC, CA, Hewlett-Packard, and others, and help customers automate complex IT processes, such as trouble ticketing or provisioning virtual servers, to save costs and increase service delivery speed.