Computer maker Dell announced the acquisition of Scalent Systems, a
company that provides software to enhance the scalability and
efficiency of data center infrastructure. Dell said it would integrate
Scalent technology into its Advanced Infrastructure Manager (AIM)
solution, which allows businesses to move workloads and applications
from device to device depending on demand. Dell said it expects to
complete the acquisition in its second fiscal quarter; financial terms
of the deal were not disclosed.
AIM works with industry-standard servers, Ethernet switches and Fibre
Channel switches, helping allow customers to transition to a dynamic
data center using existing infrastructure investments. The company said
its efforts to bring customers virtual solutions is based around a goal
of reducing data management costs by up to 50 percent. Earlier this
year, Scalent released Infrastructure Manager 3.2, the latest version
of its software for real-time provisioning and automation of IT
infrastructure and managed network, storage, as well as bare-metal and
virtual servers on VMware ESX, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Xen.
Brad Anderson, senior vice president of Dell’s enterprise product
group, said Scalent provides a critical building block for Dell’s
Virtual Integrated System (VIM) and the acquisition would solidify an
important component of their own enterprise solution portfolio. “We
know that Scalent software, in combination with Dell servers, storage
and network platforms, provide increased efficiency and value for our
customers. Scalent’s open architecture is an example of Dell’s ongoing
commitment to provide customers with solutions that don’t lock them
into proprietary hardware or gateways,” he said.
Dell’s VIM solution brings together an end-to-end solution of servers,
storage, networking, software and management tools, offering rapid
deployment and responsive infrastructure. In combination with AIM
post-Scalent absorption, Dell is in a position to offer its enterprise
customers the ability to combine their servers, physical and virtual,
and their storage devices into a single resource pool. “Scalent brings
an open, software-based approach to managing virtual infrastructure,”
said Benjamin Linder, CEO of Scalent. “We are very excited about
bringing our talented team of professionals into Dell and look forward
to Dell’s investment into accelerating our innovation curve.”