Start-up SpikeSource bulks up, warms to Ubuntu

The company on Wednesday is expected to announce that it will add Hyperic's network management software and Jive Software's Wildfire Enteprise instant-messaging software to its list of supported products. On Monday, SpikeSource said it will certify and support products to run on the Linux distribution Ubuntu.

Started in 2004, SpikeSource creates certified "stacks" of open-source software components. It tests that products work well together and provides automated updates and support. It sells through distributors and value-added resellers.

Support for the open-source software from Hyperic and Jive Software is expected to be available in the third quarter of this year, company executives said. Certifications of product stacks on Ubuntu, which is sponsored by the company Canonical, are due in the second quarter.

"This is about filling out, adding more business-ready capabilities to applications, and integration between applications and the underlying infrastructure," said SpikeSource CEO Kim Polese.

The company is also looking at certifying and supporting open-source integration servers as well as open-source portals, said Joaquin Ruiz, SpikeSource's vice president of marketing.