Oracle May Buy Micros Systems

By Thursday Review staff | published June 17, 2014 |

There had been rumors, but business analysts now say that the official announcement will likely come soon: Larry Ellison’s tech giant Oracle wants to buy Micros Systems, a software and hardware maker specializing in retail, hospitality and restaurant technology. Bloomberg is reporting that Oracle and Micros Systems are in closed talks.  No deal is official until the fine points have been worked out.

Reports indicate that Oracle, which is based in Redwood City, California, will pay $5 billion for Micros Systems. This would be Oracle’s largest single purchase since it acquired Sun Microsystems for $5.6 billion four years ago.

Micros Systems develops and markets hardware and software for point-of-sale processes, and their customers include the food and beverage industry, casinos and cruise ships, resorts and spas, theme parks, sports venues, government facilities, and hotels and motels. It also makes dozens of applications used in the retail environment, from software crafted for individual stores to shopping centers. Micros Systems is based in Columbia, Maryland and was founded in 1977.

Industry analysts say that Micros would be a good fit for Oracle’s goal of re-energizing its footprint in the expanding market for retail software and hardware, especially on the cusp of major technological changes now sweeping the retail and hospitality sectors. Oracle had a mildly disappointing six months, and insiders are suggesting that Ellison and his team are looking aggressively for new avenues for expansion and growth.

Oracle is the second biggest software maker in the world (second only to Microsoft), and among the largest technology firms in the United States. Oracle owns Sun Microsystems, Phase Forward (a medical data management firm), and dozens of other smaller technology and software developing components. Oracle has been helmed by Ellison, its founder and CEO, since the company’s inception in early 1977.


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