It’s official: VMware has acquired email and collaboration software maker Zimbra from Yahoo.
Under the terms of the deal, VMware gets Zimbra technology and intellectual property. Yahoo will be able to use Zimbra’s technology for its Yahoo Mail and Calendar services. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
As noted previously, VMware is looking to build out its stack of cloud infrastructure. With Zimbra, VMware can package its desktop virtualization with Zimbra and have more opportunities to cross sell applications.
Here’s a look at that stack:
In a statement, VMware noted that it will support Zimbra’s existing customer base. Zimbra, which has strong growth among small and midsized businesses, has more than 55 million paid mailboxes in its arsenal.
The initial plan is to form a cloud computing tandem with Vmware’s vSphere operating system and Zimbra.
In a blog post, VMware CTO Steve Herrod said that Zimbra was among the favorite downloads on its marketplace. As part of VMware, Zimbra will bolster the portfolio of cloud applications. Herrod said:
With Zimbra, we will now offer our partners an even higher level of cloud capability; one where customers can simply use an application without worrying about the details of how and where it runs.
