Few targets left in FEO, but are there any buyers?
Posted by Ben Kolada on February 17, 2012
Contact: Ben Kolada In the past year, networking vendors have acquired many of the independent front-end optimization (FEO) startups, further narrowing the field in this already niche sector. In fact, there are only a few notable independents left. But is this really a race to consolidate the market, or are acquirers simply adding these capabilities [...]
Cable & Wireless Worldwide may lose independence
Posted by Ben Kolada on February 13, 2012
Contact: Ben Kolada, Thejeswi Venkatesh Just two years after parent company Cable & Wireless Group split itself into two businesses, the consumer division Cable & Wireless and the business services unit Cable & Wireless Worldwide (CWW), CWW may once again find itself as part of a larger organization. Vodafone confirmed Monday that it is in [...]
SaaS, SaaS and more SaaS
Posted by Ben Kolada on February 9, 2012
Contact: Ben Kolada Oracle today announced the $2bn acquisition of Taleo, and SAP is getting closer to completing its $3.6bn purchase of SuccessFactors. Both announcements come less than a month after Oracle closed its $1.5bn RightNow Technologies buy. These transactions are the largest we’ve seen in the SaaS sector. However, we doubt they represent the [...]
Selling to Facebook
Posted by Ben Kolada on February 7, 2012
Contact: Ben Kolada Rather than buy into Facebook after it debuts on the open market, many companies may consider selling to the social networking giant after its IPO. Facebook is already rich with cash, and is about to become much richer. Meanwhile, its M&A strategy has so far focused on acquiring smaller startups for their [...]
j2 Global buys into CRM, nabs Landslide Technologies
Posted by Ben Kolada on February 6, 2012
Contact: Ben Kolada J2 Global continues to diversify its business through M&A, this time with the acquisition of Landslide Technologies. The company’s latest deal, its second in as many weeks, is j2′s first CRM purchase – a stark contrast from its recent M&A plays, which have focused primarily on propping up its managed messaging business [...]
IBM plays small ball in big market
Posted by Ben Kolada on February 2, 2012
Contact: Ben Kolada, Vishal Jain, Chris Hazelton After a streak of batting in the majors, Big Blue recently took a swing in the minor leagues. The company’s recently announced pickup of Worklight is one of the smallest deals it has announced in more than two years. (In fact, Worklight’s $70m price tag is a fraction [...]
Sizing the SaaS M&A market
Posted by Ben Kolada on January 31, 2012
Contact: Ben Kolada Traditional IT service providers, accustomed to an on-premises model of delivering products and services, have been rapidly buying into the SaaS sector to fulfill enterprises’ demand for SaaS offerings. The result has been a rapid increase in both the volume and value of SaaS deals announced. The most notable are Oracle’s RightNow [...]
A vote of confidence?
Posted by Ben Kolada on January 26, 2012
Contact: Ben Kolada There’s no denying that behavior in the equity markets is one of the main influencers on big-ticket M&A. Stock market stability provides a vote of confidence for corporate acquirers to pursue large, game-changing deals. Without stable markets, the valuation gap between buyers and sellers becomes too wide for potential sellers to accept. [...]
NTT continues global expansion, bags Netmagic
Posted by Ben Kolada on January 25, 2012
Contact: Ben Kolada NTT Communications has made another move in the Indian datacenter services market, this time taking a 74% stake in Netmagic Solutions. Netmagic provides managed hosting, colocation and infrastructure management services, among others, from seven datacenters throughout India. This is the latest in a growing line of transactions NTT has inked that have [...]
AT&T’s loss is Verizon’s gain
Posted by Ben Kolada on December 21, 2011
Contact: Ben Kolada In the land of multibillion-dollar telco mergers, sometimes the piecemeal approach is more effective than a one-and-done deal. AT&T attempted to leap over the competition with its proposed $39bn acquisition of T-Mobile USA; however, the world’s largest telecom company fell flat on its face. In failing to secure the T-Mobile takeover, AT&T [...]
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