EMC Adds Server Management Controls with Configuresoft Acquisition

EMC on May 27 demonstrated once again that automation is the definitive trend in data centers in 2009.

The storage and data protection infrastructure giant added a key component to its data center control software catalog when it announced the acquisition of OEM partner Configuresoft, a provider of server configuration, change and compliance management software.

Financial details of the transaction were not made public.

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EMC said the deal for the privately held company is expected to close in June and will not materially affect its multibillion-dollar balance sheet.

Configuresoft, based in Colorado Springs, Colo., claims to have about 400 customers worldwide, including 13 of the world's 25 largest companies. The company was founded in 1999 by E. Alexander Goldstein, Dennis Moreau, Louis Woodhill and Alan Sage and named Fundamental Software. It was renamed in 2001.

Configuresoft provides automated and optimized server management software that speeds up the adoption of virtualization, monitors policy and security compliance, and aids GRC (governance, risk management and compliance) across IT system infrastructures.

EMC has contracted with Configuresoft since mid-2008 to provide most of these features under the labels of EMC Server Configuration Manager and EMC Configuration Analytics Manager.

EMC's goal of providing a complete data center automation package is now reached, Bob Quillin, EMC's senior director of product development, told eWEEK.

"We have been building out a pretty formidable array of data center automation tools," Quillin said. "We've had excellent automated storage management products for a long time, and we just announced Storage Configuration Advisor as a new product. Two years ago we acquired Voyence, which provides automated network configuration. Configuresoft focuses on the server, which was the one big puzzle piece that was missing.

"We now have completed that trifecta of storage, network and server for a whole data center automation package."

Configuresoft's own Enterprise Configuration Manager and Configuration Intelligence Analytics will continue to be known as EMC Server Configuration Manager and Configuration Analytics Manager, based upon the OEM agreement, Quillin said.

These tools help IT administrators detect, prioritize and correct configuration compliance issues, Quillin said, in keeping with such legislation as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and PCI (payment card industry) regulations. Rich analytics are provided in one dashboard for viewing KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).