EMC and Western Digital make flash software buys

EMC Corp. and Western Digital Corp. strengthened their solid-state storage portfolios this week by acquiring startups with flash software technology to enhance their hardware products.

EMC signed a definitive agreement to acquire storage pooling software provider ScaleIO Inc. following weeks of speculation. The deal is expected to close this month.

Western Digital acquired VeloBit Inc., which sells server-based caching software for block-based primary storage and solid-state drives (SSDs). VeloBit will be integrated into Western Digital's wholly owned subsidiary HGST Inc. (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies), which manufactures SSDs and hard disk drives (HDDs).

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Intel re-brands, expands SSD caching software picked up from Nevex

Intel Corp. today released a Linux version of the solid-state caching software it acquired from startup Nevex last year, rebranding the application as Intel Cache Acceleration Software. The software is a companion to Intel solid-state drives and PCI Express cards.

Cache Acceleration Software (CAS) for Linux 2.0 is the first new caching application released by Intel since it acquired Nevex last October. At the time of the acquisition, Nevex had a CacheWorks application for Windows, but the Linux version was still in beta. Intel released CacheWorks 2.0 -- already in the works when the acquisition closed -- last December. That product is now called CAS for Windows 2.0.

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VeloBit tries to entice customers with trial HyperCache software, SSD

Trying to get customers to consider its caching software in a crowded field of contenders, startup VeloBit Inc. is offering a free trial version of its HyperCache product -- and a loaner SSD to use with the software -- through a partnership with solid-state drive (SSD) vendor Micron Technology.

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