Dell To Buy Everdream To Move Deeper Into Remote Service Management

Dell has agreed to acquire privately held Everdream, a move that would extend the computer maker's remote services offerings to business desktops and notebooks. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The acquisition would be the latest in a buying spree that has broadened Dell's portfolio in managed services and virtualization. Dell expects the Everdream deal to close this quarter.

Based in Fremont, Calif., Everdream's remote services offerings include a product called the Uptime Services Suite, which manages patches and anti-virus software, and also provides online backup and data encryption. Everdream's products would complement those of SilverBack Technologies, which Dell acquired in July, Dell said. SilverBack is an infrastructure monitoring and automation vendor.

On Monday, Dell said it had completed the $340 million acquisition of ASAP Software, an IT services and asset management software vendor. Together, these deals reflect how Dell is aggressively moving beyond its traditional role as a low-priced computer vendor into a services provider for desktops, storage and servers.

In buying Everdream, Dell said it would continue to develop the company's products, and offer them directly and through channel partners, including resellers and managed service providers. "Everdream has an extremely talented team that has developed industry leading technology enabling customers and partners to easily and affordably manage PCs from anywhere in the world," Steve Schuckenbrock, Dell senior VP, said in a statement issued Thursday.

The Everdream deal follows by about a week, Dell's announcement that it would buy EqualLogic for $1.4 billion. EqualLogic is a specialist in storage area networks based on Internet technology. The deal is expected to boost Dell's PowerVault storage line, including the company's virtualization technology.