Symantec Picks Up PowerQuest

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) yesterday announced that it will acquire PC storage management player PowerQuest Inc. for approximately $150 million in cash, as Symantec looks to enhance its desktop management suite (see Symantec Buys PowerQuest).

Symantec spokesman Cris Paden says the deal was primarily driven by the desire to incorporate PowerQuest's technology into Symantec's Ghost, which allows IT administrators to "clone" Windows desktop and server configurations.

However, Paden adds, "We're going to have to complete the transition and then see what they've got and how their technology works and how it complements Ghost."

PowerQuest, based in Orem, Utah, has 300 employees worldwide. Symantec says it expects the deal, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals and PowerQuest shareholder approval, to close by the end of 2003.

PowerQuest's storage management products provide imaging and deployment, system migration, and management of system updates with its deploy solutions including PowerQuest V2i Builder and PowerQuest DeployCenter Library.Its VolumeManager, PartitionMagic Professional, and ServerMagic products are designed to let enterprise users add new storage, reconfigure existing storage, and monitor and manage storage devices.

Todd Spangler, US Editor, Byte and Switch