Sybase Inc. laid off 600 full-time employees on Monday - more than one-tenth of the total workforce, as part of a reorganization to combat the trying times that brought 1997’s annual losses to US$55 million. The company is "realigning on three major initiatives: Web-based computing, mobile computing, and data warehousing," said a spokeswoman, who could provide no further details. Earlier Monday the company’s 5,768 employees worldwide were notified of the layoffs. While the positions eliminated were spread across functions, most of those laid off were at Sybase’s Emeryville, California, headquarters and down the peninsula in Mountain View. Some staffers in Concord and Burlington, Massachusetts, were also let go, as were employees at unspecified locations overseas.
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Security-software synergy: Network Associates said on Monday it has agreed to acquire Trusted Information Systems, a fellow provider of computer security systems, in a pooling-of-interests merger valued at more than $300 million.
Network Associates said the transaction will make it the largest security-software company. Network Associates was formed late last year by the merger of McAfee Associates and Network General. Both boards have approved the merger, and the companies plan to complete the transaction within 90 days, subject to regulatory reviews, approval of Trusted shareholders, and other customary closing conditions.
