Oracle Keeps on Making Deals

Oracle may be taking smaller helpings from the smorgasbord of software companies prime for purchase, but the software giant hasn't lost its appetite. On Nov. 16 it announced the acquisition of two small, privately held security companies Thor Technologies and OctetString.
Oracle didn't disclose the price paid -- likely the equivalent of a rounding error compared with multibillion dollar acquisitions of PeopleSoft and Siebel, the latter of which was approved by the Justice Dept. on Nov. 16 Including its two latest buys, Oracle has done or announced 13 deals in 2005 -- and the year isn't over yet. Most have been focused on buttressing Oracle's defenses against German powerhouse SAP.