INDUSTRY

HP has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire PolyServe, Inc., a leading provider of storage software for application and file serving utilities. The acquisition provides a strong entry point for HP into the high-growth enterprise network-attached storage (NAS) market and allows the company to extend NAS technology to blades, the fastest growing segment of the storage market. The acquisition will also allow HP to offer customers a powerful consolidation platform for databases that require high performance and resilience. Founded in 1999, PolyServe is headquartered in Beaverton, Ore., has 117 employees and serves more than 500 customers in a variety of industries including finance, energy and technology. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. PolyServe software works with industry-standard hardware such as HP ProLiant servers and HP’s portfolio of storage arrays to consolidate and virtualize NAS in Linux or Windows environments. With the software, information from file or database servers can be consolidated into a single, shared pool of storage that is highly available and can scale to match business demands. “Our two-year relationship with PolyServe has convinced us that its technology will help accelerate HP’s growth and complement our HP StorageWorks, ProLiant and BladeSystem businesses,” said Bob Schultz, senior vice president and general manager, StorageWorks Division, HP. “The combination of PolyServe software and industry-standard HP hardware can help customers consolidate individual silos of storage, reduce complexity in their IT infrastructures, increase agility and lower IT costs.” “PolyServe has grown tremendously in the past year,” said Michael Stankey, chairman and chief executive officer, PolyServe. “Working with HP has proven how simple, powerful solutions create tremendous customer value and we’re excited to be joining the HP organization. We believe that together, we can drive even more growth.” The transaction is subject to certain closing conditions and is expected to be completed within approximately 60 days. Following completion, the business will be integrated into the StorageWorks division in HP’s Technology Solutions Group. More information about HP StorageWorks is available at its Web site.