Microsoft boosts Virtualization stack with Opalis acquisition
Toronto-based Opalis Software which provides IT process automation tools for data centers has been acquired by Microsoft. Microsoft will be integrating the acquisition into its System Center product line. As Microsoft ventures into cloud adventures and invests more and more in gigantic mega virtualized data centers, Opalis’s scalable, computing software that includes prepackaged workflows and integration solutions will according to Opalis CEO Todd DeLaughter enable Microsoft “to have the most complete virtualization stack available from any single vendor.”
The acquisition seems to be a no-brainer for Microsoft to consolidate its System offerings both for physical and virtual environments-Microsoft and Opalis already share a strong common clientele and Opalis already integrates with Microsoft's Operations Manager and Virtual Machine Manager. Microsoft would be able to take advantage of Opalis’s ability to integrate with other infrastructure management products, such as solutions from BMC Software, CA and HP which it was not able to do till now. Opalis also offers a user friendly interface which lets you skip on cumbersome coding allowing Microsoft to pursue a more aggressive reach for its cloud audience.
It would be interesting to see the fate of Opalis’s Cloud Lifecycle Management solution for Amazon EC2 introduced in May as EC2 competes directly with Microsoft’s Azure as a scalable hosting environment on which developers can build and host their applications.
