What You Need to Know Now…
Oracle Buying Acme Packet for $1.7Bln
The move to all IP networks is on with Oracle announcing that it will acquire Acme Packet for approximately $1.7 billion ($29.25 per share), net of cash. Reuters reported that it’s the biggest deal for Oracle since its $7 billion purchase of Sun Microsystems in 2010. And it may not be the last big transaction. “Oracle and Cisco can both afford to be aggressive with M&A whereas many of their peers cannot,” said Ovum principal analyst Dana Cooperson. “Expect the buying spree to continue.” Acme’s board has unanimously approved the deal, which should close in the first half of the year. It’s still subject to stockholder approval and certain regulatory sign-offs. The companies said the transaction should accelerate the migration to all-IP networks by enabling secure communications from any device, across any network.