EMC planning to sell VMware?

This is something that will change the ball game forever. HP's EDS acquisition has changed the dynamics of the HW-SW-SI equation or atleast, it will definitely change the global sourcing model and possibly in their favor. Same is to happen with this (meaning rumored Intel's name on the VMware acquisition) equation, although this covers a (SW-SI)-HW* domain. So obviously this will trigger a reaction with firms like Cisco or IBM to go for Citrix and other bigger and smaller acquisitions.

Although here again I still feel the Cisco could only cover the HW-SW domain where as IBM could complete the equation with the HW-SW-SI venn unless they go for Accenture or CSC and complete the HW-SW-SI equation.

*: VMware does the SW with a slight reluctance on SI side where they still battle with the current SI and partners on "should we let you implement or we do it ourselves, cos we can always do it better than you".

EMC Corp. gained the most since October in New York trading and options to buy the stock jumped on speculation the world's largest maker of storage computers will sell all or part of its majority stake in VMware Inc.

The speculation has ``been around a little while, but is probably picking up a little bit of momentum,'' said Mike Capitani, head of equity trading at Caris & Co. in New York.

EMC climbed $1.12, or 6.7 percent, to $17.80 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Options traders increased bets EMC will continue to rally. Call-option volume rose to 195,695 contracts, or six times the 20-day average. Those bullish bets outnumbered bearish ones, or puts, by 4.3-to-1. Implied volatility, the key measure of options prices, rose to a three- week high of 36.76.

Link from Bloomberg