HP grabs database archive firm Outerbay Technologies

07.02.2006
Hewlett-Packard Co. Tuesday announced it has signed a deal to purchase OuterBay Technologies Inc., a private company that sells database archiving software.

HP, which did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, said that OuterBay currently has 450 customers using its LiveArchive software. That software locates inactive data stored in Oracle, PeopleSoft and other databases and transfers it to an accessible archive database, allowing the primary database to run more efficiently.

Steve Duplessie, founder of Enterprise Strategy Group Inc. in Milford, Mass., said the OuterBay acquisition could be a big blow to HP rival EMC Corp., which has a long-standing partnership with Cupertino, Calif.-based OuterBay.

Duplessie pointed to HP's acquisition of storage resource management vendor AppIQ Inc. last year, which it pulled off even as EMC was also courting AppIQ. In 2003, EMC took its partnership with OuterBay beyond a reseller agreement and integrated OuterBay's software into its storage systems. "EMC is OuterBay's No. 1 partner," Duplessie said.

EMC's relationship with OuterBay is not expected to change, according to an EMC spokesman.

The spokesman said HP will OEM the OuterBay products to EMC, delivering on road map commitments and product enhancements.