THE DEAL: Dell said Monday it’s buying Quest Software for about $2.36 billion, or $28 per share, in a move to make itself more competitive in the server, storage, networking and computing services business.
THE RATIONALE: With consumer demand for PCs declining, Dell wants to branch out beyond the business of making personal computers into more lucrative fields. It would like to grow by advising corporations and governments on how to manage technology needs and selling them more software and computing equipment.
QUEST’S APPEAL: Quest helps companies manage databases. Dell says Quest’s technology would add to its security and data protections offerings, along with other services aimed at business customers.
