Cloud Computing: Cisco & Dell acquisitions bring datacenter automation center stage

Grazed from ZDNet. Author: David Chernicoff.

Automation software for IT has always been an important, if low profile, part of the IT management tool box. Building automation sequences using software tools to make IT tasks that were formerly complex series of steps to accomplish regular tasks has always been a highlight of the capabilities of automation tools. But with the move towards cloud computing and on-demand provisioning of cloud services, automation moves from the category of nice to have to absolutely critical for success.

Fewer things could make the importance of automation tools in successful cloud management more clear than the acquisition this week by Dell and Cisco of companies known for their automation and cloud management tools. Cisco announced that it would be acquiring Cloupia, known for their datacenter management software and Dell announced the acquisition of Gale Technologies, a datacenter ISV known for their datacenter infrastructure automation software and cloud provisioning and monitoring software. Gale Technologies has been a Cisco partner, but with Cisco’s acquisition of Cloupia, being acquired by Dell might have been the best outcome for the company…

Datacenter automation is a major component in the software management suites from hardware/software vendors such as IBM and HP, so the addition of these products to the Dell and Cisco portfolios helps to position them both as providers of end-to-end infrastructure solutions. Customers will still be able to find a lot of choices, even when looking for enterprise-wide management solutions for their cloud and datacenter solutions as automation software components are available as both standalone applications from a range of vendors and as components of enterprise management software suites from vendors such as BMC and CA…

Read more from the source @ http://www.zdnet.com/cisco-and-dell-acquisitions-bring-datacenter-automation-center-stage-7000007531/