SAP snapped up cloud solutions provider Ariba Tuesday, while Oracle acquired Vitrue, developer of a social media analytics platform. Employees at these companies have got to be wondering what’s next. Given the appetite these days for everything cloud, those at other firms in the space should keep an eye out for warning signs of impending deals that could impact their jobs. Because as we all know, acquisitions aren’t always fun. While it's too late to dish out warning signs to employees at Ariba, who are being swallowed by SAP, or those at Vitrue, who were snapped up by the ever aggressive Oracle, it may not be too late for you, if you're alert. Here's some signs to look for:
  • Surge in off-site meetings among company executives.
  • Critical hot projects suddenly get the kabosh.
  • Weird, left-field requests to suddenly try playing with new code.
  • Sudden promotions ripple through organization, former code cruncher named data management director.
  • Finance department looks harried, as strange new faces come and go
If you see such warning signs, it may be time to polish up the resume and reconnect with others in your industry. According to one source I spoke to, SAP took about six months to begin laying off  IT workers after its acquisition of Business Objects. So, work on the cloud but keep your ear to the ground.

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