HP to Acquire Persist

Hewlett-Packard will announce the acquisition of e-mail archiving startup Persist Technologies Inc. Tuesday, sources close to both companies said.

Hewlett-Packard Co. will announce the acquisition of e-mail archiving startup Persist Technologies Inc. Tuesday, sources close to both companies said.

Persist, of Pleasanton, Calif., makes object-based software called AppStor. HP is already a reseller of the technology, which is due for a wide-area version this winter, officials said in July.

Resource Library:

Officials of HP, in Palo Alto, Calif. declined to comment.

"Were not officially saying anything until tomorrow," said Persists John Wernke, vice president of corporate development, reached by telephone this afternoon.

Persist spun-off from compliance and electronic discovery firm Zantaz Inc. in 2002. Its customers include the U.S. Army and E-Trade Group Inc., officials previously said.

"Theyre very clever. Theyre going after someone with the technology but that doesnt burden them with a lot of history, and with a low purchase price," industry analyst Sara Radicati said, of The Radicati Group Inc., also based in Palo Alto. Regarding the e-mail archiving market: "We think its a very high-growth area. Its a very big deal," Radicati said.

HP will hold a conference call on Tusday, officials said.

Reader Comments: HP to Acquire Persist >>> Be the FIRST to comment on this article!

>>> More Data Storage, Data Backup and Storage Virtualization Articles          >>> More By eWEEK