Sun acquires cloud computing vendor

Sun Microsystems said Wednesday that it has acquired Q-layer, a Belgium company that automates cloud computing deployments.

Sun didn't offer a lot of detail in its statement. Q-layer will become part of Sun's cloud computing unit. The general idea is that Q-layer's technology will allow Sun to more easily provision and deploy applications. Q-layer's software allows instant provisioning of servers, storage, bandwidth and software for private and public clouds.

Also see: Handicapping cloud computing: The big picture

The company has been talking up the cloud and open source as the two growth engines for the future. The problem is Sun's hardware business is huge--and struggling--and it will take awhile for both the cloud and open source efforts to have any material impact on the company's transformation.

In the meantime, it remains tough sledding for Sun.