Vizioncore, a startup that provides disaster recovery and backup software for virtual environments, has been bought up by Quest Software. Quest has had a controlling stake in Vizioncore since 2005.This week Quest went all the way by buying the company outright. Quest's previous acquisitions include Invirtus, which optimizes virtual machine performance, and Provision Networks, which delivers virtualized desktops and applications for VMware and Windows Terminal Server environments.

Vizioncore CEO David Beineman says the company will maintain its autonomy while dipping into Quest's virtualization portfolio to enhance its own product lines. Vizioncore already has an OEM agreement with Invirtus.

Vizioncore's products work within the VMware ESX platform rather than compete against the virtualization giant. The company also plans to support other virtualization platforms, including Virtual Iron and Citrix's XenSource.

Quest hasn't disclosed the amount it paid to acquire Vizioncore.

The Feb. 4 issue of InformationWeek will feature a review of Vizioncore vRanger Pro 3.2, which backs up virtual machines without the need for a backup agent in each VM. You also can check out our profile of the company here.