Cisco to Acquire Flash Storage Player Whiptail for $415 Million
Cisco has never been bashful about acquiring companies even though it doesn't always work out (after acquiring Linksys, it was later sold to Belkin, for example). In it's latest move to beef up its portfolio, Cisco today announced its intention to acquire Whiptail for $415 million in cash. Whiptail primarily focuses on software to manage cloud-based flash storage.
In a press release, Cisco said the acquisition will strengthen its Unified Computing System (UCS) strategy and enhance application performance by integrating scalable solid state memory into the USC's fabric computing architecture.
"We are focused on providing a converged infrastructure including compute, network and high performance solid state that will help address our customers' requirements for next-generation computing environments," said Paul Perez, vice president and general manager, Cisco Computing Systems Product Group. "As we continue to innovate our unified platform, Whiptail will help realize our vision of scalable persistent memory which is integrated into the server, available as a fabric resource and managed as a globally shared pool."
The deal also ramps up competition with EMC. The two became rivals when VMWare, which is majority owned by EMC, scooped up networking giant Nicira for $1.26 billion. According to a report in The New York Times, that deal created a little "stress" between the two firms, which are not only rivals but also strategic partners.
In a press release, Cisco said the acquisition will strengthen its Unified Computing System (UCS) strategy and enhance application performance by integrating scalable solid state memory into the USC's fabric computing architecture.
"We are focused on providing a converged infrastructure including compute, network and high performance solid state that will help address our customers' requirements for next-generation computing environments," said Paul Perez, vice president and general manager, Cisco Computing Systems Product Group. "As we continue to innovate our unified platform, Whiptail will help realize our vision of scalable persistent memory which is integrated into the server, available as a fabric resource and managed as a globally shared pool."
The deal also ramps up competition with EMC. The two became rivals when VMWare, which is majority owned by EMC, scooped up networking giant Nicira for $1.26 billion. According to a report in The New York Times, that deal created a little "stress" between the two firms, which are not only rivals but also strategic partners.
