Mergers and acquisitions - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Twitter buys code training company Marakana to strengthen its engineering chops

  Twitter has acquired Marakana, a company that provides open-source training, as part of an effort to develop new skills among its engineers.

• Facebook buys speech translation software company

  Facebook is acquiring a company that specializes in speech interpretation and translation software. The move, disclosed Monday, could help Facebook better connect its users across the globe.

• Samsung buys German OLED specialist

  Samsung has bought German organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology developer Novaled, in a bet on the next-generation technology for digital displays.

• CSC buys Infochimps to extend data analysis services

  Continuing to build a portfolio to offer data analysis as a service, systems integrator CSC (Computer Sciences Corporation) has acquired PaaS (platform-as-a-service) startup Infochimps.

• Nokia buys out, renames Nokia Siemens Networks

  Nokia finished its buyout of Nokia Siemens Networks on Wednesday and renamed the company Nokia Solutions and Networks, or NSN.

• SAP outlines plans for Hybris, push into 'omni-commerce'

  SAP has given customers a peek into how it will compete with the likes of Oracle and IBM in the growing market around CEM (customer experience management) software with the acquisition of commerce software vendor Hybris.

• SAP buys e-commerce vendor Hybris in strike back at Oracle, Salesforce.com

  SAP is buying privately held Hybris in a bid to build out an e-commerce software offering that connects with customers across multiple "channels, devices and touch points."

• IBM buys Emptoris for contract managment, supply software

  IBM has signed a deal to buy supply and contract management software vendor Emptoris in another bid to fill out its growing catalog of business-to-business and business-to-consumer commerce technologies, the company announced Thursday. Terms of the deal, which is scheduled to close in the first quarter of next year, were not provided.

• IBM buys e-commerce analytics vendor Demandtec for $440 million

  IBM is buying analytics vendor DemandTec for US$440 million in a bid to build out its line of e-commerce software, the companies announced Thursday. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of next year.

• SAP co-CEO talks new product areas, in-memory computing

  SAP could be entering significant new product categories soon, judging from remarks made by co-CEO Jim Hagemann Snabe on Thursday.

• Salesforce.com acquires help desk service firm Assistly

  Salesforce.com has acquired help desk service provider Assistly for approximately US$50 million, the two companies announced Wednesday.

• SAP to acquire Right Hemisphere

  SAP announced this morning that it is to acquire New Zealand 3D specialist Right Hemisphere. SAP already had a stake in Right Hemisphere, having invested in it via its venture capital arm, <a href="http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/2578DF170C6ED575CC2572BB001FBD62">SAP Ventures</a>, in 2007.

• Google's Motorola buy may offer boost to Microsoft

  With most acquisitions, there are winners and losers. Google's buy of Motorola is no different, but in this case, neither of those companies comes out a winner, analysts say. "

• Autonomy boss Mike Lynch defends Interwoven buy

  Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch has conducted a robust defence of his firm's agreement to acquire Interwoven in an exclusive interview with CIO UK.
  Speaking on the same day that Autonomy announced the US$775 million deal, Lynch said the move should be seen as more of an extension of the firm's shift towards serving the governance, risk and compliance market rather than an embrace of traditional enterprise content management (ECM).

• Tough times yield new role for CIOs

  In the good old days of private equity, firms would make an acquisition, take care of a few little things like management, market, product and brand, and sell the company at a profit. The credit crunch being what it is, however, most private equity firms are holding on to their properties longer than they had originally intended. Forced to drive out a whole new layer of costs, firms are spending more time evaluating and improving the IT infrastructure of their companies.
  The smartest among these firms are hiring a new kind of partner to manage IT for their acquisitions. With a healthy mix of technology knowledge, business strategy, financial acumen and consulting experience, these former CIOs are playing a critical role in value creation. They are replacing expensive IT consultants, running companies on an interim basis, developing competitive IT strategies and providing a consistent standard of operational excellence across all the properties in a firm's portfolio.