America Online Inc. announced its purchase of privately held Santa Monica, Calif.-based Xdrive Inc., which offers online storage and backup services.
With this acquisition, AOL seeks to provide to its subscribers remote media storage and backup similar to Apple Computer Inc.s .Mac feature.
The terms of the purchase were not made public.
According Nicholas Graham, a spokesperson for AOL, there will be no reductions in Xdrive staff or management, which will report to AOL through that companys Digital Services business unit.
Xdrive will also remain in its current offices, though Graham said that the company will “probably” move into existing AOL offices in Santa Monica at some point.
Graham said that current Xdrive subscribers will see their contracts with Xdrive honored.
“The existing service will be maintained,” Graham said. He added that Xdrive customers will not have to become AOL subscribers to use the service.