VeriSign to acquire Network Solutions
VeriSign has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Network Solutions in an all-stock transaction valued at $34 billion ($US21 billion). VeriSign provides online authentication, payment and validation services aimed to secure e-commerce transactions. Network Solutions, meanwhile, is one of the Internet's leading domain name registrars and the exclusive registry and provider of .com, .net, and .org. registration services to 34 domain name registrars worldwide. The combined company will be able to deliver a broad range of Internet infrastructure services required for electronic commerce, from establishing an online presence to delivering authentication and secure transaction services, the companies said.www.verisign.com, www.networksolutions.comIBM, Ariba, i2 form e-commerce allianceIBM, Ariba and i2 Technologies have announced an alliance that company officials said will offer integrated, end-to-end, business-to-business e-commerce services. The alliance will join i2's TradeMatrix marketplace system and the Ariba business-to-business e-commerce platform with IBM technology to let businesses quickly build and deploy full-service online marketplaces, company officials said. The alliance plans to build on the strengths of each of the contributing companies.www.ibm.com, www.ariba.com, www.i2.comIntel to give free PCs to its 70,000 workersNot to be outdone by older, less tech-smart industries, Intel will ride a trend started by Ford and issue a free Pentium III PC to each of its 70,000 workers worldwide. The chip maker said its goal is to create a more Internet-savvy workforce, which it said should help the company stay at the top of its industry. The company also wants to help its employees and their families participate more in the Internet economy, said an Intel spokesman. In June, Intel will start doling out a "high-performance" Pentium III PC as well as unlimited free Internet access, a printer and other add-ons to each of its full- and part-time workers. The company expects to have equipped all its workers with PCs by the end of the year, the spokesman said. www.intel.com