Computer manufacturer Dell is trying to sell some of its assets so it can complete an impending purchase. The computer company is offerings its IT services company Perot Systems at a cost of around $5 billion. Dell is trying to raise money to acquire data storage company EMC, a mega deal that would cost about $67 billion.
By acquiring EMC, Dell would be able to greatly improve upon its storage capabilities. EMC also owns a stake in VMWare, among other holdings. Reports indicate that Dell is trying to raise at least $10 billion to fund the deal. Selling off Perot Systems would put the company about halfway towards this goal.
Dell first purchased Perot Systems in 2009 for $3.9 billion. Perot Systems provides IT services to both healthcare providers and government agencies, and it handles general media claims. The company was originally founded by businessman and billionaire Ross Perot.
As part of its effort to complete a sale, Dell has been courting several potential buyers of Perot Systems. Some of these purchasers include Indian IT firm Tata Consultancy Services, American company Genpact and French IT firm Atos. While Dell managed to make considerable progress in talking with Tata Consultancy Services, the negotiations ultimately broke down, with no deal being completed.
In recent years, Dell has been plagued by declining computer sales worldwide. The company wants to diversify its offerings. In the future, Dell wants to function as both a service company and a computer hardware company.
The service offerings of Dell will include software support, while the company will also take an advanced role in offering data storage. Acquiring EMC should be a good first step in becoming more prominent in the data storage industry. ECM maintains revenues of about $24 billion per year.
Additionally, Dell is also trying to sell IT management solutions firm Quest Systems, which maintains revenues in excess of $850 million. The company is also working to unload security company SonicWall, which has revenues of $265 million annually.
Stay Connected