With the acquisition of SaltStack, VMware said it will extend automation capabilities beyond infrastructure, to software and packages within virtual machines and containers.
VMware said it plans to acquire automation software maker SaltStack to bolster its cloud. However, financial terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.
The company announced the acquisition along with a series of platform and product updates scheduled at the company's VMworld this week.
SaltStack is the company behind the hugely popular open source software Salt, which is used by IT administrators to handle a range of remote execution tasks. With the acquisition of SaltStack, VMware said it will be able to extend its automation capabilities beyond infrastructure to software and packages within virtual machines and containers.
The company also plans to use SaltStack to enhance its vRealize with end-to-end automation and integrated configuration management.
“These software configuration management capabilities will help us address the full spectrum of customer automation needs and further enhance customers’ ability to automate the deployment and configuration of infrastructure platforms, both on-premises and in the cloud with VMware vRealize Automation,” said Ajay Singh, SVP and GM of the company’s cloud management business unit.
“Additionally, SaltStack offers strong configuration compatibility and vulnerability management capabilities, which will enable vRealize to help customers address their SecOps practices post-closure.”
VMware said it is committed to maintaining the SaltStack open source community after the deal closes, with Singh noting that it will fully support SaltStack's work on open source projects. Beyond automation and configuration, SaltStack is also known for its SecOps, which aims to help IT and security teams identify and remediate compliance issues and vulnerabilities.
