Dell Buys Boomi

Dell has agreed to purchase software-as-a-service (SaaS) integration provider Boomi for an undisclosed amount. Dell says acquiring Boomi will help it address what it terms “one of the top barriers to cloud adoption” – managing and integrating cloud-based applications with existing applications and databases.

Boomi offers a pure SaaS application integration platform, known as “Atomsphere,” designed to transfer data between cloud-based and on-premise applications with no appliances or coding required. According to Dell, the benefits this platform provides include elimination of data entry errors, increased sales and business productivity, and cheaper, easier integration that can be performed in weeks rather than months.

Atomsphere is based on a metadata-based approach to integration, which stores integration processes as XML. The complete end-to-end integration process is contained in this repository, and is ultimately deployed to a runtime engine (known as a “Boomi Atom”) for runtime execution.

Dell says it is building an entire technology portfolio for businesses seeking the benefits of web-based computing. This purchase follows Dell’s release of its Virtual Integrated Systems (VIS) architecture and self-service portal, designed to help customers transition new and existing technologies to an open, cloud-like model, in late September.

By creating a cloud portfolio aimed at helping distributed enterprises overcome common cloud computing barriers, Dell is taking an important step toward remaining competitive in the rapidly evolving world of enterprise IT.