Dell raised its offer for the data-storage company 3Par on Thursday and said that the company had accepted its offer.

The new price is $24.30 a share in cash, or about $1.5 billion.

Dell had initially offered $18 a share last week, but on Monday, Hewlett-Packard, the world’s largest technology company, started a bidding war for 3Par, bidding $24 a share, 33 percent higher than Dell’s offer. Dell’s latest bid is a slight increase over Hewlett’s.

Dell’s previous agreement to acquire 3Par had a provision for matching competing bids. The companies have signed an amendment to the agreement reflecting the new offer price, according to a statement from Dell.

The bidding war has focused attention on efforts by technology companies to expand into storage.

Companies need a place to store vast amounts of data: video clips, e-mail, reports and presentations. They also need tools to help them manage it. The makers of those tools, like 3Par, which is based in Fremont, Calif., have turned into some of the hottest properties in Silicon Valley.

Dell and H.P. have experience adding storage wares to their arsenal. Dell acquired EqualLogic for $1.4 billion in 2007, and H.P. bought LeftHand Networks, a company with similar storage technology, for $360 million a year later.

Dell, in particular, has emphasized the importance of storage as the company tries to diversify from hardware sales. The hope is that storage software sales will provide Dell with higher profits, while also opening a more meaningful relationship with customers that centers on their information.

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved