Sun Microsystems Acquires Cloud Rival:Q-layer

Sun Microsystems announced yesterday that it acquired cloud computing service provider Q-layer. Q-layer is a cloud computing company that automate the deployment and management of both public and private clouds. The acquisition is said to said to be a key move by Sun as it bolster it cloud computing offering. The company will become a part of the Sun’s Cloud Computing business unit which develops and integrates cloud computing technologies, architectures and services.

“Sun's open, network-centric approach coupled with optimized systems, software and services provides the critical building blocks for private and public cloud offerings," said David Douglas, senior vice president of Cloud Computing and chief sustainability officer, Sun Microsystems. "Q-layer's technology and expertise will enhance Sun's offerings, simplifying cloud management and speeding application deployment."

The acquisition of Q-layer comes as no surprise to me, as highlight in a previous article “virtualization next battlefield: in the cloud” I said the industry will see more and more acquisitions among cloud computing providers. The value of the cloud computing market is worth billions; so many suppliers will be positioning themselves for when the customers are ready. It was October last year that Hp aquired LeftHand Networks. I am looking to see more acquisition this year from the companies such as IBM and HP. So watch this space.