Mark Zanoli of JP Morgan says cash-laden tech firms see turmoil as opportunity As they face the economic downturn, technology market leaders such as Cisco, HP,  Microsoft and Oracle have a huge advantage over big companies in most other industries -- strong balance sheets.The giants hold almost no debt and lots of cash, which means they're in a position to acquire smaller companies to boost revenue growth. "Everyone is looking at the chessboard," says Mark Zanoli, managing director and head of tech investment banking for JP Morgan. Zanoli, whose firm (along with the now-defunct Lehman Brothers) advised HP on its  $13 billion acquisition of computing-services firm EDS, doesn't expect any action until early next year.Like the private equity investors we told you about last week, strategic buyers will likely wait to see just ... [ Read more ]