Disruptive Power of Tech Spawns Buyouts, Spin-Offs
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Big Money
There were 64 IT industry deals worth more than $30 billion, combined, in the third quarter, compared with 70 deals worth $27.7 billion in the prior quarter. -
Sector Breakdown: IT Services
The IT services sector saw nine deals worth $8 billion, combined, in the latest quarter, compared with 10 deals worth $2.9 billion in the second quarter. -
Sector Breakdown: Hardware
There were 15 deals in the hardware sector worth $6.9 billion, combined, in the latest quarter, compared with 13 deals worth $10.2 billion in the second quarter of 2014. -
Sector Breakdown: Semiconductor
The semiconductor sector saw seven deals worth $5.6 billion, combined, last quarter, compared with seven deals worth $7.9 billion in the second quarter of 2014. -
Sector Breakdown: Internet
There were 13 deals in the Internet sector worth $5.1 billion, combined, in the latest quarter, compared with 18 deals worth $2.6 billion in the second quarter. -
Sector Breakdown: Software
The software sector saw 20 deals worth $4.5 billion, combined, last quarter, compared with 22 deals worth $4.2 billion in the second quarter. -
Top Deals of the Latest Quarter: Leisurely Pursuit
Oracle acquired Micros Systems, an enterprise applications solutions provider for the food and beverage, hotel and retail industries, for $5.3 billion. -
Top Deals of the Latest Quarter: Hip-Hop Hooray
Apple bought Beats Electronics, an audio products company founded by rapper Dr. Dre, for $3 billion. -
Top Deals of the Latest Quarter: Appealing Menu
Priceline purchased Open Table, an online restaurant reservation company, for $2.6 billion. -
Top Deals of the Latest Quarter: Powering Up
Analog Devices acquired Hittite Microwave, a designer and manufacturer of electronic components, for $2.4 billion. -
Top Deals of the Latest Quarter: Virtually Rich
Facebook bought Oculus VR, a virtual reality technology developer, for $2.3 billion. -
Tech Giants Doing Splits
Late in the quarter, heavyweights—such as HP and Symantec—revealed plans to split their enterprises in two. Their goal is to determine "how to best compete in a future that necessitates agility alongside innovation," the report stated.
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Defining MSPs' Goals, Challenges and Tools 
Why Metrics Matter to the Channel Although the number of IT acquisitions declined slightly in the third quarter, the overall value of industry deals increased markedly, according to new research from PwC. That's good news for companies developing tech innovations that are considered "must-haves" among major players, such as Oracle, Apple and Facebook. Overall, individual deals in the third quarter averaged $470 million, up 19% from the second quarter, and eight deals exceeded $1 billion. (One interesting aside: The entrepreneur behind one of those 10-figure deals happens to be a famous rapper and record producer.) The IT industry is setting a pace to make 2014 "the second most active year in technology deals since the last major recession," Rob Fisher, the U.S. technology industry deals leader for PwC, said. He also pointed to "the recent surge in spin-off activity, [which] reflects the urgency … to compete in a future that requires agility alongside innovation." PwC bases its findings on data transactions provided by Thomson Reuters and additional research.