IBM Grabs Cast Iron To Help Connect the Enterprise to Public Cloud

IBM continued its buying spree with the acquisition of Cast Iron Systems, a software as a service (SaaS) and appliance vendor that helps customers connect their enterprise data center with public clouds like Amazon Web Services. Often described as a hybrid approach to cloud computing, Cast Iron's integration software has already been used for "thousands of cloud integrations around the world," the company said. The move by IBM fills a hole in their integration stack and bolsters their cloud portfolio further as they seek to be a one-stop shop for their huge installed base. A base that is, at least, kicking the tires around cloud computing.

However, writing in his InfoWorld column, David Linthicum was less sanguine. Noting that Cast Iron initially delivered its solution as an appliance, Linthicum explains: "Cast Iron's move to integration-as-a-service was a bit perplexing to me, with Boomi and others already in that space. However, with everyone "cloudwashing," I suspect the temptation for Cast Iron was just too great. Also, that may have been why IBM bought the company. I view Cast Iron's core competitors to be Boomi, Pervasive Software, and DataDirect, along with a few other smaller players such as JitterBit and BlueWolf, all mostly second-generation application integration players."

Of course, time will tell if the purchase makes sense, as Linthicum and others have stated. But that's always the case. It appears to be a good fit without much overlap in existing products which bodes well for the future. Clearly if cloud computing continues on its trajectory then integration with existing systems will be vital.