If you work at a desktop computer, chances are pretty good that you've been pounding on a keyboard connected to a PC made by Dell
To that end, Dell announced on Monday that it has agreed to buy Quest Software
Quest produces data-security and virtual desktop products that Dell believes will work together with the technologies from other software companies it has recently acquired. Those include Wyse Technology, a Web-based software company, and Sonicwall, a security company. Other companies Dell has acquired for its IT and data-center expansion plans have included Perot Systems and Force 10 Networks.
The goal of these acquisitions is for Dell to become an enterprise-solutions company that can compete with Hewlett-Packard
Dell had to pay a premium for Quest as it bid against private venture-capital firm Insight Venture Partners, but after its losing battle for data-storage company 3Par in 2010 -- which HP picked up for $1.6 billion -- it didn't want to lose out here.
The market's initial reaction to the Dell-Quest deal saw Dell's shares drop 1%, bringing the trailing 12 months' share drop to 27%.
It's hard to keep up with high-tech companies as they develop products at breakneck speeds. Learn about a new technology that is changing the face of business. It's all here in The Motley Fool report
The Only Stock You Need to Profit From the NEW Technology Revolution." This report is free, but get it now before everyone gets a chance to read it!