When <b>Robert Beyster</b> stepped down in July as chairman of Science Applications International Corp., he became the latest retiree among the first generation of executives who built the government systems integration industry. When industry insiders are asked to identify the early movers and shakers, they invariably point to seven names, including the former SAIC chief. Washington Technology profiles these Titans in a special report that includes "what are they doing now" updates and Q&As.
In my view, the attributes of the government services industry reduce the risk in mergers and acquisitions to a level well below what is prevalent in other business sectors. The recent history and pace of industry transactions supports this thesis. With few exceptions, government services mergers and acquisitions have added value to the acquirers business, quantitatively, qualitatively or both.
Cisco Systems Inc. plans to acquire privately held P-Cube Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., for $200 million in cash and options. P-Cube develops software for analyzing and managing network traffic.
Computer Sciences Corp. acquired Porton International Inc.'s interest in biopharmaceutical company DynPort Vaccine Company LLC, for an undisclosed sum, the company said today.
BIO-key International Inc. will buy Aether Systems Inc.'s Mobile Government Division for $10 million in cash, creating the largest U.S. provider of wireless information technologies for law enforcement and public safety organizations, according to BIO-key officials.
McAfee Inc. has agreed to buy Foundstone Inc. of Mission Viejo, Calif., for $86 million in cash, the company said today. The acquisition gives the security firm a foothold in the growing vulnerability management market.
Wireless Facilities Inc. will acquire information technology and logistics automation services provider Defense Systems Inc. in a $6.6 million, all-cash deal, WFI announced this week.
After three consecutive quarters of improvement in business performance, commercial IT spending dropped in June. Dozens of commercial software and hardware companies preannounced weak second-quarter results, blaming customer purchase delays and a lack of large sales.
