EMC/NetApp recap on Data Domain

NetApp, EMC battle it out for Data Domain

Developments of the week in storage

Unless the EMC-NetApp-Data Domain changes in the past five days, here's what happened in NetApp's efforts to acquire the deduplication vendor.

The pot got sweeter last week as NetApp upped the ante for the acquisition of Data Domain for $1.9 billion in cash and stock. The deal, which Data Domain, accepted trumped EMC's $1.8 billion all cash offer. EMC's original $1.8 billion cash deal remains under consideration at Data Domain.

Apparently last November, Goldman Sachs brokered a meeting between CEO Frank Slootman and NetApp CEO Dan Warmenhoven about a business combination. The two CEOs met again in March – the result being that Data Domain's board would accept an offer from NetApp.

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Unless the EMC-NetApp-Data Domain changes in the past five days, here's what happened in NetApp's efforts to acquire the deduplication vendor.

The pot got sweeter last week as NetApp upped the ante for the acquisition of Data Domain for $1.9 billion in cash and stock. The deal, which Data Domain, accepted trumped EMC's $1.8 billion all cash offer. EMC's original $1.8 billion cash deal remains under consideration at Data Domain.

Apparently last November, Goldman Sachs brokered a meeting between CEO Frank Slootman and NetApp CEO Dan Warmenhoven about a business combination. The two CEOs met again in March – the result being that Data Domain's board would accept an offer from NetApp.

In mid-May, NetApp made a cash and stock offer of $1.5 billion to which Data Domain agreed.

EMC countered the NetApp offer with a $1.8 billion all cash deal. This was apparently after also Data Domain considered a deal with another unidentified party.

NetApp came back to the table with a $1.9 billion cash/stock offer, which Data Domain accepted. Yet there was a wrinkle in the works – Data Domain, despite accepting NetApp's offer, maintained the right to review EMC's offer. At this point (if nothing has changed in the past five days) that's where negotiations stand. Data Domain is in the catbird seat – having two suitors vying for its attention.

Read more about data center in Network World's Data Center section.

Deni Connor is principal analyst for Storage Strategies NOW and host of both the Masters of Storage and Masters of Servers Solution Centers.