HP buys storage firm

HP has announced an agreement to buy Ibrix, a privately-held maker of clustered file system software used for creating large, highly available network attached storage architectures. HP said the move was part of a strategy to converge its server and storage infrastructure, establishing a tighter integration between applications and data. The Ibrix organisation will be integrated into the StorageWorks division in HP's Technology Solutions Group.

"These advanced data management capabilities enable customers to easily store, move and access large volumes of data," an HP spokesman said. "Customers can also seamlessly add capacity while lowering costs, simplifying operations and streamlining resources to improve overall productivity."

Ibrix claimed its Fusion software could create a NAS storage system that scales to tens of petabytes of capacity, while being managed from a single interface. Ibrix has 53 employees and claims more than 175 enterprise customers in the communications, media, entertainment, Internet, oil and gas, healthcare, life sciences, and financial services industries.

The value of the transaction was not disclosed. It's expected top close withing 30 days

According to Gartner, Internet service providers represent the biggest vertical market for Ibrix's technology.

HP already has file clustering software through its 2007 acquisition of PolyServe. PolyServe's software runs on Windows or Linux systems through NFS and CIFS file serving protocols.

HP had already offered the Ibrix technology with its StorageWorks storage area networks (SANs), HP ProLiant servers, HP BladeSystem, and HP ProCurve Ethernet switches and management software under a three-year reseller agreement. Ibrix also has similar reseller agreements with Dell and EMC.

Milan Shetti, CEO of Ibrix, said that joining forces with HP was a "natural fit for our customers, resulting in an enhanced storage solution that scales to meet their data growth."