In a move than could boost Hewlett-Packard's database performance by as much as 80 percent, the firm announced Tuesday that it is acquiring OuterBay for its archiving software.

By combining OuterBay's software with the offerings of recently-acquired ApplQ and Peregrine Systems, HP said its server, storage, and software offerings will be bolstered, in particular for customers deploying Oracle, SQL Server, and Sybase databases in addition to Oracle E-Business Suite, SAP, and PeopleSoft enterprise applications.

"OuterBay builds on HP's enterprise portfolio to help companies get more from their mission-critical database environments," said Bob Schultz, senior vice president and general manager of HP's StorageWorks division, in a statement. "Sixty percent of our HP Integrity server customers are running Oracle applications and databases today, making this a key capability for our existing customers."

HP said enterprise database archiving is growing at a 50 percent compound annual growth rate.

OuterBay has about 60 employees, HP said. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.