Oracle is reportedly in talks to acquire Micros Systems for $5 billion (around £3 billion, AU$5.6 billion), according to reports. Micros Systems provides software and hardware to organizations in the retail, restaurant and hospitality industries, including cloud-based workflow and customer service solutions.
Revenue for Micros Systems eclipsed $1.26 billion (around £700 million, AU$1.29 billion) in 2013, an increase of 14.5% compared with 2012. The Columbia, MD-based company employs more than 4,600 workers and is installed in some capacity by more than 500,000 restaurants, hotels, retail locations and casinos, among other places.
Oracle has spent $50 billion (around £29 billion, AU$54 billion) on acquisitions in the past decade, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the potential acquisition. If the acquisition is completed Micros Systems would be Oracle's largest acquisition since it acquired Sun Microsystems for $5.7 billion (around £3.36 billion, AU$6.1 billion) in 2009.
Why Micros Systems?
Last month, IBM and SAP both announced plans to focus on targeting verticals directly with cloud-based tools. SAP said it intends to deliver industry-specific solutions across 25 industries, while IBM said it will create 20 industry-specific subscription-based cloud solutions.
Oracle also focuses on targeting industries with its cloud-based solutions. Last month, it unveiled its Marketing Cloud solution, which was an addition to the Cloud Marketplace, which launched in September of last year and included specific sales, customer service, finance, human resources, and software development solutions.
It is immediately unclear if Oracle will leverage the acquisition to create a hospitality, restaurant or retail-focused cloud. Oracle did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
