• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, October 3, 2016

Salesforce.com has agreed to acquire Krux, a highly regarded independent data management platform, marking another prized data-management platform (DMP) to become part of an even bigger marketing services cloud.

The move follows similar acquisitions of leading DMPs by Oracle (Bluekai in 2014) and Nielsen (eXelate in 2015).

Another major DMP, Neustar, went the opposite route -- acquiring marketing analytics provider MarketShare Partners for $450 million in 2015.

Details of Salesforce’s acquisition of Krux were not disclosed, but the deal reportedly is valued at about $700 million, making it the biggest DMP deal to date.

“We’re thrilled to join the Salesforce family upon the close of the transaction and inspired by the possibilities ahead,” Krux Co-Founder and CEO Tom Chavez wrote in a letter sent to stakeholders following the deal’s announcement, and adding that the merger would benefit all by accelerating Krux’s already positive growth.