Manic Thursday: Sun Buys StorageTek, Citrix Snaps Up NetScaler, Lawson Acquires Intentia

Sun Microsystems said it plans to buy StorageTek for $4.1 billion in cash or about $37 per share. The deal has been approved by both boards, according to a statement issued Thursday morning. StorageTek, Louisville, Colo., develops disk and tape storage systems, SANs and information life-cycle management (ILM) technologies.

The combined companies would "enjoy financial strength, a complete systems offering, an impressive list of blue chip customers and global reach," Sun Chairman and CEO Scott McNealy said in the statement. The deal, pending regulatory approval, is expected to close in the late summer or early fall, the companies said. Sun is based in Santa Clara, Calif.

Also on Thursday, Citrix Systems said it plans to buy privately held NetScaler, a specialist in application networking. The $300 million cash deal also includes the assumption of about $23 million in unvested stock options, both companies said.

NetScaler's expertise will be used to extend the Citrix Access Platform by dynamically selecting the best delivery method for each session, according to a company statement. Citrix is based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and NetScaler's headquarters is in San Jose, Calif.

Finally, in the midmarket business software realm, ERP vendor Lawson Software, St. Paul, Minn., said it is buying Intentia International, based in Stockholm, Sweden. Lawson specializes in financial, human resources, procurement and retailing software, while Intentia sells manufacturing, distribution and maintenance applications.

In addition, Lawson announced that President and CEO Jay Coughlan will leave the company after an "agreed-upon transition period." Coughlan has been CEO since February 2001. Harry Debes, formerly with Geac Enterprise Solutions, J.D. Edwards and SPL Worldgroup, will join Lawson in mid-June as president and CEO.