Dell to Buy ASAP Software

Dell just announced that it plans to acquire the company ASAP Software in order to extend its reach into the market of licensing services. Until now, the ASAP Software company was a subsidiary of Corporate Express. According to a Dell press release this acquisition will strengthen Dell's position and offering on the software market of "licensing, purchasing, renewals, and compliance". Under the already signed agreement, Dell will buy the software company for $340 million and the deal is supposed to close sometime during the fiscal year's third quarter.

"Merging Dell's software business with ASAP is part of our effort to re-invent and simplify the way our customers get access to IT," said Paul Bell, senior vice president and president, Dell Americas, who was cited in the company's press release. "After the acquisition is completed, our customers will have one of the world's leading software solutions providers as a single point of expertise and accountability for software licensing, compliance, renewal and asset management".

"Maximizing the value of our customers' technology investment is a hallmark of ASAP," said Paul Jarvie, ASAP president. "We're excited about the opportunity to leverage the systems, processes, and teams we've developed over the past 23 years to serve Dell customers". ASAP Software is specialized in offering different IT solution for corporate customers and government organizations and through its License Technologies Group the company offers "licensing and e-commerce services for software publishers and their partners". According to Dell, the company is being asked by corporate and institutional customers for solutions to simplify software management, so Dell thinks that acquiring ASAP Software is the key to simplifying the IT platform by reducing costs and complexity and by "making technology more efficient, manageable and flexible".

"Dell's strategy, developed through millions of direct conversations with customers, is based on a set of core beliefs that:
* Information technology shouldn't be as complex as it is.
* Customers should spend less on maintaining IT and more on innovation.
* Every IT project should not require an army of consultants.
* Computing should have minimal environmental impact.
* Superior information drives efficiency in an IT environment".