Swiss cloud storage provider Caleido AG, developers of the Wuala online storage solution today announced they will be merging with LaCie to offer a blend of external and cloud-based storage in the future.
Interesting that just weeks after HP drop their Upline service, it appears that cloud storage deals are being done left right and centre.
Will be interesting to see what products and solutions emerge from this deal. In the meantime, here’s the announcement:
ONLINE STORAGE SOLUTION WUALA MERGES WITH EXTERNAL STORAGE MANUFACTURER LACIE
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND (March 19, 2009) – Caleido AG, the Swiss maker of the innovative online storage solution Wuala, announced today that it has merged with LaCie, the French manufacturer of external storage devices. Together they plan to revolutionize the storage industry by building a unique and sustainable cloud storage service.
“We’re very proud to announce that we join forces with LaCie,” says Dominik Grolimund, co-founder and CEO of Caleido AG. “This is a major leap forward for Wuala and will bring us to the next level. LaCie is the perfect match for us. Together we will realize the vision we embarked on more than four years ago while researching the basics of Wuala at the ETH Zurich: to build a reliable and secure cloud storage by integrating millions of devices around the world.”
“LaCie has a strong vision for where the future of storage is headed. This merge has allowed us to acquire a very innovative online storage solution that will transform our company from a leading hardware manufacturer to a comprehensive digital storage provider,” said Philippe Spruch, founder and CEO of LaCie. “LaCie believes storage versatility will influence the industry, and we look forward to providing our customers with new, cutting-edge ways to store their valuable data through our upcoming product offerings.”
Since the launch in August 2008, Wuala has gained substantial traction. Users have quickly adopted the software as a central hub for managing files online. Wuala’s rapid growth is not only attributed to its ease of use, but also to the unique way of protecting the user’s privacy. All files stored in Wuala are safely encrypted on the user’s computer before they are stored online. The users can then grant their peers, regardless if users or non-users, individual access to each folder. The user’s password never leaves the computer and therefore, no one – not even Wuala – can decrypt the user’s private files.
“We’re very excited about this. This merger will transform our start-up into a world-class digital storage provider,” says Luzius Meisser, co-founder and CTO of Caleido AG. “While other cloud operators invest in huge data centers consuming Megawatts for powering servers and cooling them, Wuala builds its reliable and secure cloud storage by harnessing idle resources at the edge of the Internet. This has many advantages for the end user and results in a product that unites the fast access of local storage with the convenience of online storage, namely secure off-site backups, and sharing and collaborating with friends, family, co-workers and even external partners due to our right management system.”
Research and development for Wuala’s award-winning technology began at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. After finishing their studies in 2007, Dominik Grolimund and Luzius Meisser founded their company, Caleido AG, located in Zurich.
The nine staff members that influence the development and operation of Wuala will remain with the company. They will join a team of LaCie members who will drive efforts to evolve the technology, adding new features and capabilities that will be integrated into a range of LaCie storage solutions.
More Info: Wuala | LaCie
