IBM Closes Texas Memory Systems Acquisition

IBM announced that it has completed its acquisition of Texas Memory Systems.

IBM announced that it has completed its acquisition of Texas Memory Systems, a privately held maker of high-performance flash memory solutions.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. IBM announced Aug. 16 that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Houston-based TMS, a leading developer of high-performance flash memory solutions.

Founded in 1978, TMS designs and sells solid-state memory solutions as the RamSan family of shared rack mount systems and Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) cards. The products are designed to help companies improve system performance and reduce such critical issues in the data center as server sprawl, power consumption, cooling and floor space requirements. Leveraging such solutions can help organizations save money, improve performance and invest more in innovation, IBM said

“Flash technology is a game-changer for our clients and IBM is committed to delivering industry-leading flash-optimized capabilities as a cornerstone of our Smarter Storage strategy," said Brian Truskowski, general manager of IBM System Storage and Networking, in a statement. "The TMS solutions extend our broad portfolio of flash-optimized storage arrays and flash-optimization software, providing our clients unmatched value.”

IDC estimates the amount of solid-state storage solutions being shipped into the enterprise will grow significantly, reaching nearly 3 exabytes by 2016.

IBM plans to invest in and support the TMS product portfolio, and will look to integrate over time TMS technologies into a variety of solutions, including storage, servers, software and PureSystems offerings.

“IBM understands the positive and dramatic impact that solid-state technology can have on storage and server infrastructures, and once the acquisition is complete, we look forward to advancing the technology even further,” Holly Frost, founder and CEO of TMS, said in a statement. “With the global reach of IBM, we expect to grow the engineering staff and product lines much faster than we could before.”

TMS employed approximately 100 people, who will be integrated into IBM Systems and Technology Group.

“The TMS strategy and solution set align well with our Smarter Computing approach to information technology by helping clients realize increased performance and efficiencies at lower costs,” Truskowski said. “Solid-state technology, in particular, is a critical component of our new Smarter Storage approach to the design and deployment of storage infrastructures, and part of a holistic approach that exploits flash in conjunction with disk and tape technologies to solve complex problems.”