Hoping that the third time’s a charm, Hewlett-Packard (HP) has again extended the deadline for Mercury Interactive shareholders to approve HP’s US$4.5 billion pending purchase of Mercury.HP Monday extended its previously announced tender offer for all of Mercury’s common stock until midnight Eastern time, Oct. 27.The previous tender offer expired at midnight Oct. 13. As of then, Mercury shareholders had tendered about 81.5 million shares. An HP spokesperson couldn’t immediately be reached to determine how many Mercury shares HP requires to close the deal.HP first announced plans to acquire Mercury in July to enhance its presence in IT management software and services, a move that would boost HP’s annual software revenue to more than $2 billion. Mercury has particular strength in applications management, while HP has traditionally focused on systems and network management via its OpenView software family. Mercury will also bring HP the Systinet registry and repository, software seen by analysts as key to any company committed to the popular service-oriented architecture model. While Mercury has a troubled past including the resignations of its chief executive officer, chief financial officer and general counsel late last year due to the incorrect recording of stock-option grants, HP continues to be bogged down in a boardroom scandal of its own.HP’s troubles center on how company executives and third parties it hired behaved during investigations to identify the leaker of confidential information. Five people, including former HP Chairwoman Patricia Dunn, who was forced to quit the company last month, face felony charges in Santa Clara County, Calif., Superior Court. The charges relate to pretexting, or the use of false pretenses to gain access to individuals’ phone records. -China Martens, IDG News Service (Boston Bureau)Related Links: HP Spying Scandal HP Extends Deadline for Mercury AcquisitionCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content opinion The Importance of Identity Management in Security By Charles Pelton Nov 28, 2023 5 mins Cybercrime Artificial Intelligence Data Management brandpost Sponsored by Rocket Software Why data virtualization is critical for business success Data is your most valuable resource—but only if you can access it fast enough to address present challenges. Data virtualization is the key. By Milan Shetti, CEO of Rocket Software Nov 28, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by Rocket Software The hybrid approach: Get the best of both mainframe and cloud Cloud computing and modernization often go hand in hand, but that doesn’t mean the mainframe should be left behind. A hybrid approach offers the most value, enabling businesses to get the best of both worlds. By Milan Shetti, CEO Rocket Software Nov 28, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by Rimini Street Dear Oracle Cloud…I need my own space Access results from a recent Rimini Street survey about why enterprises are rethinking their Oracle relationship and cloud strategy. By Tanya O'Hara Nov 28, 2023 5 mins Cloud Computing Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe