Sponsored by Oracle

Blue Coat Systems Inc., a maker of equipment that secures, monitors, and speeds Internet traffic, has agreed to be taken private for $1.1 billion in a deal that throws a lifeline to a company beset by falling sales and a U.S. government probe into use of its products by Syria.

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) said on Thursday that it had agreed to acquire software company DemandTec, Inc. (NASDAQ:DMAN) for about $440 million or $13.20 a share.

IBM, the No. 2 computer giant, said it plans to acquire e-commerce specialist DemandTec for $440 million to beef up its retail and marketing software services.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Nathan's Famous, Thoratec, Netlist, Iridium Communications, and DryShips. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Internap Network Services, PowerSecure International, Clearwire, Bon-Ton Stores, and Pacific Biosciences of California.

SAP AG's purchase of Web-based software company SuccessFactors Inc could be the catalyst the old-school German technology giant needs to try to catch up to rivals in the fast-growing cloud computing market.

SAP AG's purchase of Web-based software company SuccessFactors Inc could be the catalyst the old-school German technology giant needs to try to catch up to rivals in the fast-growing cloud computing market.

As Oracle, SAP and IBM snap up rivals in business analytics software, Information Builders will stay independent, founding CEO Gerald D. Cohen told International Business Times.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Affymax, Taleo, Universal Display, DryShips, Hercules Offshore, Staples, and Huntington Bancshares. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Fushi Copperweld, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and Research In Motion.

Germany's SAP announced a $3.4 billion cash deal to buy U.S. Web-based software company SuccessFactors, joining the scramble among technology firms to offer cloud-computing services to businesses.

Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE:RHT) continues to gain market share against Microsoft, Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), SUSE Linux and Oracle Solaris in the cloud computing space, according to a Wall Street analyst.

SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) said its unit SAP America Inc. has agreed to buy all outstanding shares of SuccessFactors Inc. (NYSE: SFSF) for $40.00 per share in cash, representing an enterprise value of about $3.4 billion.

Germany's SAP announced a $3.4 billion cash deal to buy U.S. web-based software company SuccessFactors, joining the scramble among technology firms to offer cloud-computing services to businesses.

Germany's SAP announced a $3.4 billion cash deal to buy U.S. Web-based software company SuccessFactors Inc., joining the scramble among technology firms to offer cloud-computing services to businesses.

The biggest legal battle for the technology industry is playing out in a federal court in Silicon Valley, where Apple is trying to stop Samsung from selling Galaxy phones and tablets in the United States. It is a veil of secrecy where court papers are sealed.

Shares of Hewlett-Packard, the world’s biggest computer company, rose slightly Thursday, a day after Standard & Poor’s downgraded the company’s credit two notches.

General Electric, the No. 1 U.S. conglomerate, unveiled a major upgrade of its Proficy Historian enterprise software to enable manufacturers to better access huge databases and improve quality.

Goldman Sachs picks its top nine technology stocks for 2012.

U.S-based multinational corporations added almost 3 million jobs to their payrolls in foreign countries between 1999 and 2009, while slashing 864,600 jobs at home, as they become increasingly dependent on foreign sales. Is tax holiday a viable solution?

Hewlett-Packard, the No. 1 computer company, will phase out an older Intel chip on high-end servers in favor of a newer one. Besides offering more power, another goal could be to battle rival Oracle.

The Dark Knight Rises is probably the most anticipated Batman film to date, set to release on July 20, 2012.

Hewlett-Packard is trying to enlist European antitrust authorities to investigate whether Oracle improperly leveraged its strength in software to freeze HP out of certain parts of the hardware market, attorneys for both companies said in court.

Hewlett-Packard, the world’s largest computer company, reported fourth-quarter earnings that exceeded expectations even as sales of PCs and printers fell. As well, the company wrote off a record $3.3 billion of the failure of its TouchPad in the tablet sector.

Octogenarian billionaire investor Warren Buffett arrived on his first visit to Japan on Monday, fanning speculation about his possible investments in the country's battered stock market.

Lobsang Sangay, Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, said that self-immolation is almost regular in protest against China.

Oracle Corp accused Hewlett-Packard C of secretly contracting with Intel Corp to keep Intel's Itanium microprocessor from being phased out, according to a court filing from Oracle in its long-running legal battle with HP over the Itanium platform.

When Ray Lane took over as chairman of Hewlett-Packard Co a year ago, he was looking forward to working with longtime associate Leo Apotheker, who had just been appointed CEO to repair the damage done by the messy departure of Mark Hurd.

Hewlett-Packard, the No. 1 computer services company, has elected Ralph Whitworth, a well-known activist investor to its board, its first election since new CEO Meg Whitworth was elected Sept. 25.

Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM) said Thursday it slipped to a loss in its third quarter on higher costs and said the losses would continue into the fourth quarter.

Apple elected Genentech CEO Arthur Levinson as its second Chairman, following the Oct. 5 death of Steve Jobs.