Dell mulling biggest tech takeover as it sets its crosshairs on EMC

Dell and private-equity firm Silver Lake are reportedly in talks to acquire the storage business of EMC. The latter currently has a market cap of close to $50 billion and WSJ reports this deal would be the biggest takeover ever in the technology industry. The move fits inside Dell's view to become focused on technology for big companies, a move away from its more consumer-oriented past.

People familiar with the matter told WSJ that a deal could be reached within a week. Dell is primarily interested in EMC's market-leading data storage business, the journal received word that one of the focus points of a potential acquisition would be to spin off EMC's stake in VMware. EMC has a 80 percent stake in VMware, which has a market cap of just over $34 billion.

EMC has been under pressure to boost its stock price since last year, when activist hedge fund Elliott Management Corp. took a roughly 2% stake in the company and urged it to spin off VMware. EMC owns 80% of VMware, which has a market value of $34 billion. An arrangement struck in January between Elliott and Hopkinton, Mass.-based EMC that had barred the fund from publicly pressuring EMC expired last month. Elliott has since stayed quiet.