EMC moves Mozy to VMware to exploit 'synergies'

VMware has today taken control of cloud-based data protection service Mozy from the parent company they share, EMC. A statement released today said VMware had acquired both the company's assets and staff.

The spin-off is the latest sign of VMware's increasing emphasis on cloud-building software, with the company's chief technology officer (CTO), Steve Herrod, confirming on his blog today the intention was to "further ramp our own cloud-related learning and accelerate new IP, scale, and capabilities into the products that we provide to our customers and cloud partners".

"(Mozy has) more than one million users, 70,000 business customers and a worldwide network of data centres storing more than 70 petabytes of data," Herrod said.

"The individuals responsible for building, operating and maintain this service at a global scale clearly possess the experience and knowledge essential to running such an operation and we'll be leveraging that to improve our own products and help customers and partners to best leverage them."

Mozy's chief operating officer (COO) Charlotte Yarkoni responded on her own blog today, saying the company would continue to offer the full portfolio of Mozy services and there will be no effect to customers.

"Staff from both companies will begin to integrate longer-term development plans central to building and delivering hybrid cloud solutions," she wrote. "EMC retains the Mozy business... an operational support agreement between EMC and VMware is in place to make this possible and ensure no impact to Mozy customers."

Yarkoni said Mozy had already developed strong partnerships with VMware over recent months and "it has become increasing clear that moving to VMware will allow us to take advantage of, and extend, the synergies we've been building".

"VMware and Mozy share a vision for how cloud computing will transform IT and help businesses achieve greater flexibility," she said. "By joining forces, we believe we can accelerate the development of offerings that businesses are looking for."

VMware will now have access to Mozy's data compression, synchronisation, client integration and analytic tools, which it will use to extend several of its existing and yet-to-be-announced products.

EMC purchased VMware, now the world's largest virtualisation software developer, for $625 million (384 million) in 2004.