Digital transformation spurs tech M&A to close in on record

The digital transformation of business via cloud, mobile and big data technology is fueling IT mergers and acquisitions, which are set to rocket past the record level set back in 2000 as the dot-com era crested.

Enterprises are adopting cloud and mobile technology to stay competitive, and technology companies are scrambling to keep up with demand. Through the end of October, the value of publicly disclosed technology-related mergers and acquisitions globally was $396.4 billion, virtually assuring that 2000's record of $412.4 billion will be exceeded, according to Ernst & Young (EY).

This year's blistering pace in M&A is likely to continue, according to executives polled by EY. Forty-five percent of tech executives surveyed plan to actively pursue acquisitions in the coming year, according to its "Capital Confidence barometer - Technology" report, published Tuesday. That number is higher than in the last three surveys launched in the same third-quarter period, EY said.

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