With IBM Corp still engaged in the process of evaluation of Sun Microsystems assets - a "standard procedure" - the actual $6.5 billion acquisition deal will not be likely before next week at the earliest.

Sources close to the proceedings said that IBM is undertaking an appraisal of the various components of Sun's computer server and software businesses. The Sun takeover would help IBM become a cloud computing biggie, thanks to certain vital additions from the Sun, including open-source Solaris operating system, the open-source database MySql and the Java platform.

While some analysts opine that IBM's larger manpower and more efficient management would allow the company to make better use of Sun's assets, there are others who consider the proposed deal between the two companies as part of the ongoing consolidation trend - more so as IBM, HP and Cisco Systems are competitors trying to offer newest technologies in terms of software, services and hardware for complex corporate transactions and networks.

That Sun "is having a Yahoo moment," - as put by veteran technology analyst Rob Enderle, referring to Microsofts last year attempt to buy Yahoo - is evident from the fact that the takeover offer by "Big Blue" comes after Cisco's announced plans of making a foray into the next-gen data server market. Clearly, the contest for data center hardware is heating up!