Cisco makes $20bn offer for Splunk - reports

Networking giant launched an offer for the data analytics software company recently, the Wall Street Journal reports

Cisco has made an offer worth more than $20bn for data software company Splunk, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal said the offer was made recently but that the two companies are not currently in active talks over a deal.

The deal would mark Cisco's biggest ever acquisition - smashing the $6.9bn acquisition of Scientific Atlanta in 2005.

Splunk and Cisco have not commented on the report.

Splunk, which is currently searching for a new chief executive after Doug Merritt stepped down from the role in November, sells a platform which monitors and searches and visualises machine data.

The two companies already have a partnership, and Cisco has continued to put its efforts into moving towards software in recent years, with CEO Chuck Robbins praising partners in November for helping the company's shift toward software and services.

Splunk's shares rose as much as 17 per cent in after-hours trading after The Wall Street Journal reported on the potential deal, the publication reported.

The data software firm also announced in June that private equity group Silver Lake was making a $1bn investment in the company to help support the transformation of the business.