10 Biggest Tech Acquisitions Of 2014

2014 has been a busy year for major technology companies, from consumer-focussed players Apple and Google to enterprise-centric brands like SAP and Oracle. All these companies, and many others, went shopping this year, spending billions on buying up companies to bolster their own products or expand their reach. Here’s a look at the 10 biggest acquisitions in technology industry in 2014.

1. Facebook Acquires WhatsApp — $22 Billion

Facebook in February this year agreed to acquire mobile messaging app WhatsApp for $19 billion, making it the second-biggest tech acquisition of all time. The deal eventually closed in October, with final price tag increasing to $22 billion due to rise in Facebook stock value.

2. SAP Purchases Concur Tech — $8.3 Billion

German software maker SAP acquired US-based expense software maker ConCur Technologies for $7.3 billion in order to bolster its cloud computing portfolio. Including debt, the offer represents the total value of $8.3 billion for Concur Tech.

3. Level 3 Communications Buys TW Telecom — $7.3 Billion

US internet traffic router Level 3 Communications agreed to purchase internet service provider TW Telecom in a deal valued at $7.3 billion. This includes TW Telecom’s value at $5.64 billion and its debt of $1.6 billion.

4. Oracle Acquires Micros Systems — $5.3 Billion

Oracle has purchased rival Micros Systems for $5.3 billion in a deal to expand its Big Data efforts in the hotel and restaurant sectors. The all-cash takeover comes from Oracle's $39 billion cash stockpile and comes after the company produced disappointing results over the June quarter.

5. Vista Equity Partners Buys Tibco Software — $4.3 Billion

Tibco Software in September 2014 agreed to be bought by private equity firm Vista Equity Partners for $4.3 billion. The Palo Alto, California-based company develops software that companies use in processes such as inventory keeping and cross-selling products.

6. Elliot Takes Control Of Riverbed Technologies — $3.6 Billion

Elliot Management took control of Riverbed Technologies through Thoma Bravo’s $3.6 billion acquisition of Riverbed Technologies. Elliott had been pressing Riverbed to sell itself due to a slowdown in its main Wide-Area Network (WAN) optimization business and its struggle to integrate Opnet, a maker of software to manage traffic on networks that it bought in 2012 for about $1 billion.

7. Zebra Tech Purchases Motorola Solutions’ Scanner Business — $3.5 Billion

Motorola Solutions agreed to sell its scanner business to Zebra Technologies for $3.5 billion in April this year. Zebra Tech is buying the enterprise-focussed Motorola unit in a bid to ward off Honeywell Tech by pairing its barcode labels and radio tags with the scanners and computers.

8. Google Buys Nest Labs — $3.2 Billion

Google in February completed the purchase of Nest Labs, a smart thermostat maker, in an effort to boost its profile in the smart home arena. The sale led to an outcry among Apple fans as Nest Labs founder, Tony Fadell, is widely considered the creator of the iconic iPod.

9. Apple Acquires Beats Electronics — $3 Billion

Apple acquired headphone maker and music app creator Beats Electronics in August for $3 billion, making it the iPhone maker’s biggest acquisition ever. Apple is expected to integrate Beats’s music matching algorithm with its iTunes Radio service.

10. Lenovo Buys Motorola Mobility For $2.9 Billion

Lenovo purchased Motorola Mobility from Google in January this year for $2.91 billion, much lower than the $12.5 billion that Google paid for the company in two years ago. As part of the deal, Lenovo gets Motorola’s mobile phone business, Google gets to keep its patents.