Dell on Thursday announced it had signed an agreement to acquire privately held Everdream, a company started in the late 1990s offering PC rental by the month that has since evolved into a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider of remote service management.
Terms were not disclosed and the purchase will not be final until all closing conditions are met. Dell expects the deal to close this quarter, which ends in December. Everdream is based in Fremont, Calif., with second facilities in Charlotte, N.C. and Dallas, Tex.
The acquisition is yet another step in Dell’s new Simplify IT strategy. Everdream’s remote management capabilities complement those provided by SilverBack Technologies, another Dell acquisition.
With this acquisition, Dell expects to be able extend remote management of IT assets globally. “We think it’s a great step for Dell’s expansion of its service capabilities to help customers and channel partners simplify their IT department,” David Frink, a spokesperson for Dell, told InternetNews.com.
“This is a company that’s got advanced capabilities in remote service management for small, medium and large businesses,” he added. “It’s got both remote tracking of hardware and software assets, and allows for distribution of software updates and patches across your company’s infrastructure from a remote location.”
Frink said Dell plans to integrate the company into Dell’s global services organization, which would be a several-month process. The Everdream staff will remain where they are now based.
“This is another step in their effort to become a services company,” noted Richard Shim, analyst with IDC. “They’ve noticed their competitors have stepped up their services business. In the past, they haven’t been big on acquisitions. They tried to grow organically. But the pace of change is so quick they can’t do that any more. So this is an attempt to change the focus for the company.”