BlackBerry maker Research In Motion saw its stocks rise late last week following a Bloomberg report stating that IBM was interested in acquiring RIM’s enterprise-services unit, which is considered to be the company’s most valuable asset. Bloomberg cited two people familiar with the situation.
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On Friday, RIM shares opened at $8.18 and closed at $8.22 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. On Monday, it opened at $8.30 and closed at $8.02. Although the price dropped in the last couple of days, RIM shares are higher than they were in previous weeks.
Both IBM and RIM declined to comment about the possible acquisition, saying they do not comment on rumors.
If successful, the acquisition could improve IBM’s corporate presence, since the company has numerous servers available to support millions of BlackBerry phones, and it has been working to enhance its offerings through its alliance with RIM by extending the reach of BlackBerry users to corporate data, simplifying management and improving productivity.
IBM and RIM have formed a strategic alliance to deliver mobility products, services and innovations which aim to enhance the value and overall experience of the BlackBerry solution for end users. With this alliance, IBM and RIM have worked closely to develop integrated solutions that help simplify the complexity of enterprise mobility. Solutions include an extended reach to data, such as business intelligence, e-mail, collaboration software and other enterprise applications.
Citing Berenberg Bank, Bloomberg noted the business may be valued at $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion depending on the mix of assets included in the deal.
