Tag Archives: msft

Box Targets Multinationals With Amazon, IBM Cloud Options

Expanding internationally, Box ( BOX ) will team with IBM ( IBM ) and Amazon ( AMZN ) Web Services to offer large companies online data storage in Europe and Asia. Some governments have strengthened consumer privacy regulations by mandating that data be stored locally. AWS, part of e-commerce giant Amazon.com, and IBM will provide data center storage facilities to Redwood City, Calif.-based Box. IBM acquired data center operator SoftLayer in 2013. IBM and Box in 2015 partnered to develop new applications and jointly market products and services. The IBM relationship has enabled Box to target larger business deals, analysts say. The “Box Zones” service will initially offer multinational customers the option of local data storage in Ireland, Germany, Japan and Singapore. Box says that it may expand the service to “dozens” of countries . Box operates three data centers in Silicon Valley. Box stock edged up 1% in afternoon trading on the stock market today . Shares in the online data storage and file-sharing service provider’s stock have slipped 13% in 2016. Box has a low IBD Composite Rating of 27 out of a possible 99. The company vies with Microsoft ( MSFT ), though it’s now a partner for Office 365 products. It also counts as rivals Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) Google and privately-held Dropbox.  

Yahoo Seen Bringing Verizon Heft In Ad Technology, Mobile Video

Troubled Web portal Yahoo ( YHOO ) would be a good fit for Verizon Communications ( VZ ), bringing the communications giant more heft in advertising technology and mobile video, Macquarie Capital said Tuesday. Verizon reportedly is among those that plan to bid for Yahoo’s Web business and its holdings in Yahoo Japan. Yahoo is looking to sell all or part of its operations, including its core search business and substantial holdings in Alibaba Group ( BABA ) and Yahoo Japan. Yahoo reportedly has set an April 18 deadline for bids. In the meantime, it faces a proxy fight from activist investor Starboard Value, which wants to oust the entire board. “Yahoo’s current turnaround plan focuses on three key platforms (mail, search and Tumblr), four key verticals (news, sports, finance and lifestyle), and two advertiser offerings (Gemini and BrightRoll),” wrote Macquarie analyst Amy Yong in a research report. “Yahoo’s strategy and assets fit well with Verizon’s three-pronged plan, but execution is key,” she said. “If done properly, we believe the companies’ combined assets would allow for more aggressive competition in spaces including: ad-tech and mobile video … as well as content and display advertising.” “Significant” job cuts would result from a Verizon-Yahoo deal, Yong said. Yahoo already is in the process of axing 15% of its workforce, or about 1,600 jobs. Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter estimates that Yahoo’s core business could fetch $3 billion to $5 billion. He estimates 2016 EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $750 million. Yahoo’s market cap is $34.5 billion. Yahoo Revenue Seen Falling 15% This Year An estimated 40 groups have expressed interest in buying all or part of the financially wilting Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Web portal. News site Re/Code said last week that documents Yahoo provided to potential bidders predict that the Web portal’s 2016 revenue will drop by close to 15% and its earnings by more than 20%. Rumored bidders for Yahoo include the Daily Mail, the British tabloid newspaper which on Monday reportedly confirmed its interest, attracted to Yahoo’s popular news and media properties. The Daily Mail is in preliminary talks with other investors to launch a bid for Yahoo, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, confirming a previous WSJ report out Sunday. Yahoo stock rose more than 1% on Monday and was up a fraction, near 36.50, in midday trading in the stock market today . Yahoo sent a letter to possible buyers last month, asking them to submit bids. Some buyers might be interested in all or part of Yahoo’s core Web business, while others might want Yahoo’s stakes in China e-commerce Alibaba or Yahoo Japan. Google, the main division of Alphabet ( GOOGL ), reportedly is considering a bid for Yahoo’s core business. Media company Time ( TIME ); Japan’s SoftBank ( SFTBY ), the majority owner of Yahoo Japan; and several private equity firms also are kicking the tires, reports Bloomberg. Yahoo has also held meetings with IAC/InterActiveCorp ( IAC ) and CBS ( CBS ), the WSJ said. One-time potential suitors including AT&T ( T ) and Comcast ( CMCSA ) have decided against bidding, Bloomberg reported.  Microsoft ( MSFT ), which failed with a hostile bid for Yahoo in 2008, also won’t bid, according to Bloomberg.

Dell Beats HP In U.S. PC Shipments For First Time In Over 6 Years

Dell retook the U.S. personal computer shipment lead for the first time in over six years in Q1 as former No. 1 HP Inc. ( HPQ ) stumbled, market research firms Gartner and IDC reported late Monday. HP had been the top PC vendor in the U.S. for 25 consecutive quarters, IDC said. Dell shipped 3.48 million PCs in the U.S. in Q1, giving it a 25.6% market share, while HP shipped 3.44 million units for a 25.3% market share, IDC said. It was Dell’s first No. 1 ranking in the U.S. since the third quarter of 2009, IDC said. Dell increased its domestic PC unit shipments by 4.2% year over year in the first quarter, while HP’s U.S. shipments declined 14.1%, IDC said. Overall PC shipments in the U.S. fell 5.8% in Q1, IDC said. No. 3 vendor Lenovo increased its shipments by 21.1% to 1.92 million units, giving it a 14.1% market share. No. 4 vendor Apple ( AAPL ) grew its shipments by 5.6% to 1.76 million units, giving it a 13% market share. Gartner ( IT ), which measures the PC market differently from IDC, said Dell was No. 1 in the U.S. in Q1 with a 26.3% market share, followed by HP with 23.7%. On a worldwide basis, PC shipments fell 11.5% to 60.6 million units in the first quarter, IDC said. Gartner put the decline at 9.6%. Gartner said it was the sixth consecutive quarter of global PC shipment declines. Consumer PC sales remain weak, hurt in part by free upgrades to Microsoft ’s ( MSFT ) Windows 10 operating system. Enterprise customers are still mostly testing Windows 10, but adoption by businesses is expected to start in earnest later this year. Lenovo was the top PC vendor worldwide with a 20.1% market share in Q1, IDC said. HP was in second place with a 19.2% market share, followed by Dell (14.9%), Apple (7.4%) and Asus (7.2%), IDC said.