Microsoft on A [Small] Acquisition Spree
Microsoft has been picking up a lot of companies, but they are usually small so the purchases don't make a lot of news. But they often contribute significant that is incorporated into Microsoft products, says Todd Bishop of seattlepi.com, the web site of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The smaller deals often don't contribute significantly to the bottom line in the short run. But in some cases, their effects have been seen relatively quickly in Microsoft products...
Microsoft has been making acquisitions in other sectors, including a series of security-software companies whose technologies have helped it form a fledgling product line...
Many of the company's deals are small enough that they're not considered material to the company's financial results, letting Microsoft avoid disclosing individual purchase prices.
Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell disclosed the deal volume for the past two fiscal years -- $207 million in 2005 and $649 million in 2006 -- during the company's annual meeting last month with analysts. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/281937_software21.html
