NetApp Inc., a data storage company, said today that it has acquired the open source database startup Instaclustr Pty. Ltd. for an undisclosed sum.
Enterprises who don’t want to handle their own software can use Instaclustr to get fully managed versions of the most popular open source databases. Its “open source as a service” platform hosts and supports a variety of open source technologies, including Apache Cassandra, Apache Kafka, Apache Spark, Apache Lucene, and ScyllaDB, among others.
Despite the fact that such projects are all powerful, according to Instaclustr, many businesses do not want to cope with the problems of setting them up and then maintaining them. Instaclustr takes care of these details for them, offering both the data and technology that businesses need to scale their platforms.
NetApp, which provides companies with hybrid cloud data services and data management, said it will merge Instaclustr into its CloudOps offering after the deal closes, subject to customary closing conditions.
In a blog post, NetApp executive vice president and general manager Anthony Lye stated that the transaction is all about improving client experiences by making open-source software installation easier.
“The acquisition of Instaclustr is a strategic next step for NetApp; to do more for the customer, simplify the experience, continuously optimize and secure the platform so customers don’t have to do it themselves,” he writes.
NetApp has been on a buying spree of late, acquiring startups like Spot, CloudCheckr Inc., and, most recently, Fylamynt, in order to expand its reach into areas like cybersecurity, cloud cost control, and cloud automation. The purchases are all part of NetApp’s strategy to transition from a legacy storage supplier to one that is more relevant to organisations that manage the majority of their workloads in the cloud.
According to Lye, Instaclustr will provide NetApp with a platform for running, optimising, and securing different open source databases, data pipelines, and workloads. According to him, the goal is to establish an open and extensible platform for clients that will be available in both public and private clouds, allowing application teams to build and deploy faster.
“We’re in the optimization business now more than ever and our customers have everything to gain,” Lye added. “NetApp and Instaclustr will deliver our platform as a service for both public clouds and private clouds.”
