Cisco has purchased privately held, remote managed OpenStack private cloud-as-a-cervice platform Metacloud, as part of its strategy to develop the global network of highly secure clouds.
Through its OpenStack-as-a-service model, the California start-up delivers customers ready-to-go private clouds in new and existing data centres.
Cisco corporate development senior vice-president Hilton Romanski said: "Cloud computing has dramatically changed the IT landscape.
"To enable greater business agility and lower costs, organizations are shifting from an on-premise IT structure to hybrid IT – a mix of private cloud, public cloud, and on-premise applications.
"The resulting silos present a challenge to IT administrators, as choice, visibility, data sovereignty and protection in this world of many clouds requires an open platform.
"We believe Metacloud’s technology will play a critical role in enabling our customers to experience a seamless journey to a new world of many clouds, providing choice, flexibility, and data governance."
The deal would also facilitate enterprises to match the as-a-service operational benefits of public cloud with the private cloud’s security and control.
Service providers can integrate their public cloud deployments with remotely managed OpenStack private clouds, as well as deliver exclusive Intercloud offerings to their customers, Cisco said.
Metacloud employees will join Cisco’s Cloud Infrastructure and Managed Services unit after the closure of the deal that is expected by the first quarter of 2015.
