Computerworld - EMC Corp. may be set to close on a $76 million purchase of the Mozy online backup product from Berkeley Data Systems, according to a report in the TechCrunch blog.
The acquisition would give EMC a foothold in the fast-growing online backup arena, which has been fueled by laptop and desktop user demands to easily store personal and business data on a hosted service for a low monthly fee.
Officials at both Hopkinton, Mass.-based EMC and Salt Lake City-based Berkeley Data declined to comment. The acquisition could be completed within a few weeks, according to published reports.
The hosted Mozy service currently targets PC users. A version of the service for Apple Macintosh users is expected to be available by the end of this year despite some complaints from early beta testers.
The Mozy unlimited storage backup service enables the secure backup of files, photos, music and other personal data from hard drives. Complete restores of any lost data are possible from Mozy's hosted servers.
The MozyPro service costs $4.95 per month. The Mac version, called MacMozy, is expected to carry the same price tag.
In 2004, EMC entered the desktop backup business with its acquisition of Dantz Development Corp. for $50 million.
Read more about Storage in Computerworld's Storage Topic Center.
Free Insider GuideCopyright © 1994 - 2012 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc.
