Data storage products manufacturer EMC has reportedly held merger proposals with rivals Dell and HP, amid pressure from activist investor and the anticipated departure of its long-time CEO.
Further, reports reveal that the storage firm is also exploring options including a sale.
EMC also held off-and-on merger talks with HP for nearly a year and talks concluded recently, while it still remains unclear whether the discussions could be revived or not, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The latest merger discussions were disclosed few weeks ago over financial terms as well as over fears that stakeholders of EMC and HP would reject the deal.
The anticipated merger of HP and EMC would lead to creation of a bigger unit which could offer tools to global firms to manage data.
The storage firm’s merger option with Dell still remains unclear, and it is unlikely Dell would completely acquire EMC, while it could consider buying some of its assets including its core storage business.
In July, hedge fund Elliott Management acquired a stake in EMC and urged its yet to be retired CEO Joe Tucci to divide its stake in software maker VMware, claiming the step would augment the value of the both assets.
In addition to Dell and HP, other firms considered being potential deal partners for fraction or all of EMC include Cisco Systems and Oracle.
Last month, EMC has reportedly earmarked £1.4bn to buy Indian storage start ups as part of efforts to cater to increasing customer expectations.
