Emerson Network Power Acquires Aperture

Emerson Network Power (EMR) announced today that it will acquire Aperture, a leading provider of data center management software. Aperture will allow Emerson to expand its offerings to data center clients using its Liebert line of power and cooling products. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition will become final once all Aperture shareholders have agreed to its terms.

Emerson said the addition of Aperture's VISTA products will enable data center professionals to more easily manage complex environments. It will also help Emerson compete in an environment where equipment vendors are increasingly expanding their expertise in data center management, especially in targeting energy efficiency and green data centers. One example is HP, which has acquired data center automation provider Opsware and engineering firm EYP Mission Critical Facilities. The purchase of Aperture allows Emerson to offer an integrated approach featuring hardware, software and a new consulting business based upon its Energy Logic roadmap for managing data center energy use.

VISTA provides visual management of equipment, space, power, cooling and data center capacity. It tracks power consumption, allowing for the management of a facility's full power distribution network, and also provides the ability to manage and provision blade servers.

"Emerson is a highly respected global company with an outstanding pedigree in data center technology solutions," said Bill Clifford, chief executive officer, Aperture. "We would not have agreed to the acquisition if we did not genuinely feel that the combined company would be able to deliver significant value to our employees and to our joint customer base. Together, we will also be able to address new markets, such as the emerging demand among small and mid-size data centers for more sophisticated management solutions."

"During its 20-year history, Aperture has built up an impressive reputation as a trusted vendor of highly reliable and innovative data center infrastructure management solutions," said Bob Bauer, group vice president, Emerson. "Aperture's vendor-independent VISTA products and its strong business relationship with IT decision-makers will help us to expand the Liebert brand presence into IT operations and better serve IT managers' data center needs.

"Aperture will also expand our capability to provide real-time monitoring and optimize performance of the data center, which will help customers eventually control costs more effectively, Bauer added.