Microsoft's acquisition strategy maturing
CRM Assist | at | by Mike
Hit a midlife crisis, buy a new sports car, or so the old saw goes. So what kind of purchases might rev up a middle-aged company? Microsoft, now in its 28th year and the world's most valuable company, started 2003 with the purchase of two small, private Silicon Valley companies. Many Microsoft watchers predict other acquisitions could follow as the company uses its $40 billion cash hoard to reach for new areas of growth, especially at a time when it's likely to find technology assets at bargain prices.
For several years, the Redmond, Wash., company has recognized the need to branch out into new territory to respond to slowing sales growth of its two crown jewels, the Windows operating system and the Office suite of productivity software. Microsoft can no longer depend as heavily on those products as the PC becomes just one element in a much larger digital world.