Dell buys software licensing firm

DELL IS BUYING ASAP Software in a surprise $340 million deal that points to the direct-sales pioneer taking a new, intriguing direction.

ASAP sells software to help firms keep track of software licences and Dell suggests the deal is “part of our effort to re-invent and simplify the way our customers get access to IT”.

Hmm, we didn't know there was such an effort, unless you count the various Dell web services that are largely focused on keeping track of stuff you buy from Dell.

But this buy provides “a single point of expertise and accountability for software licensing, compliance, renewal and asset management”. In other words, it's the domain of enterprise software folks and not really Dell's usual business at all.

The other point to note is the price. That's a large sum for Dell which is very cautious in its acquisition activity compared to its old Tweedledee HP. Only the Alienware and unsuccessful 1999 ConvergeNet Technologies storage networking buys stand comparison so far as we recall.

So if you add in last month's agreement to buy remote monitoring firm Silverback Technologies and last year's UK deployment services outfit ACS, it's probably not stretching a point to say Dell wants to build something substantial outside of hardware sales. Interesting. µ