FRAMINGHAM (03/10/2000) - VeriSign to Acquire Network SolutionsVeriSign Inc. in Mountain View, Calif., this week announced an agreement to acquire Network Solutions Inc. in Herndon, Va., in an all-stock transaction valued at $21 billion. The combined company will be able to deliver Internet infrastructure services required for e-commerce, from establishing an online presence to delivering authentication and secure transaction services, the firms said in a statement.
Sun Buys Innosoft
Sun Microsystems Inc. said it will buy Innosoft International Inc. in West Covina, Calif., which makes Internet-standards-based messaging and directory products. Sun said the move is aimed at strengthening the product line operated through the iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions alliance Sun has with America Online Inc. and Netscape Communications Corp. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
PC Perks at Intel
Not to be outdone by older, more traditional employers, Intel Corp. will ride a trend started by Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich., and issue a free Pentium III-based PC to each of its 70,000 workers worldwide. In an announcement this week, the chip maker said its goal is to create a more Net-savvy workforce to help it stay at the top of its industry. The company also wants to help its employees and their families participate in the Internet economy, a spokesman said.
Microsoft Leaves SIIA
Microsoft Corp. this week resigned from the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), following the Washington-based trade industry group's filing of a friend-of-the-court brief against Microsoft in the ongoing federal antitrust case. Microsoft had been a member of SIIA for 14 years and paid the maximum dues of $125,000 per year, said SIIA President Ken Wasch. Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Bob Herbold, who had been a member of SIIA's 19-person board, announced his resignation from the board.