Dell swallows backup contender

Vendor adds start-up AppAssure to trolley

Dell has continued its shopping spree by adding fast-growing backup start-up AppAssure to its cart.

Founded in 2006, private equity-backed AppAssure provides backup and recovery of virtual servers, including VMware, Hyper-V and XenServer, as well as physical servers. Last year the firm saw sales virtually treble.

It is the first software acquisition Dell has made since it formed its software group earlier this month.

Brad Anderson, president of the Enterprise Solutions Group at Dell, said. "At a practical level, AppAssure enables Dell customers to seamlessly move and replicate data across our existing platforms – from an EqualLogic array in a remote office to a Compellent array at a data recovery site."

Dell said it plans to keep AppAssure's 230 or so employees.

AppAssure chief executive Najaf Husain said: "Combining Dell's global brand, scale, reach and existing storage portfolio with our innovative technology provides customers with world-class data protection and recovery capabilities in their virtual, physical and cloud environments."