Autonomy Acquires Zantaz for $375M

Posted by James Rogers on July 3, 2007

Tags: Backup & Recovery,  Cloud Storage,  Other,  Storage Management

Channel: Backup & Recovery, Cloud Storage, Other, Storage & Mgmt

U.K. software vendor Autonomy has bought email archiving service provider Zantaz for $375 million in cash in an attempt to boost its presence in e-discovery and data storage. (See Autonomy Acquires Zantaz and Zantaz Offers On Demand.)

Autonomy, up until now, has focused on digital content management. The vendor's core product is its Intelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL) software, which acts as a form of central repository for data from file servers and document management systems. IDOL is OEM'd by a slew of storage vendors, including EMC, Symantec, and HP.

Eventually, the IDOL software engine will be built into the offerings of Zantaz, which provides managed email archiving services. The combination will be aimed at users who want to outsource their archiving tasks and who've been clamoring for better integration of email and records management. (See Outsourcing Email Not an Easy Choice, Email Gets More Outsourced Options, Outsourcers Beef Up Email Archives, and Packaged Approach to E-Discovery.)

There's no specific timelime for integration of the IDOL and Zantaz software, however. "It's a little tough to say, because we're still engaging the technical teams," and Bob Little, Zantaz's vice president of product marketing, adding that a six- to nine-month timeframe would be "a safe bet."

Moving forward, Zantaz will continue to operate as a standalone business unit within Autonomy, according to Little. "At this point, we're not expecting any real changes in the Zantaz workforce," says the exec, adding that the company's 500-plus employees, along with CEO Steve King and the rest of his management team, will remain in place.