Dive Brief:
- Google announced Monday it acquired Orbitera, a platform that supports multi-cloud commerce. Though the terms of the deal were undisclosed, TechCrunch reported the deal was for more than $100 million.
- Google said the acquisition will provide customers with more choice and flexibility when it comes to running their cloud environment.
- Orbitera helps automate business processes like billing, packaging and pricing optimization for independent software vendors and businesses that support customers in the cloud, according to the announcement. More than 60,000 enterprise stacks employ the company's technology.
Dive Insight:
Many companies indicate they plan to use more than one cloud provider in coming years to meet various needs.
A May survey by Cowen & Co. found the typical public cloud customer is now likely to select more than one public cloud provider to meet their various needs. Public cloud providers offer different perks and benefits, and customers are not afraid of choosing more than one company to meet all of their needs, the study found.
Some cloud providers may fight that trend, but Google is hoping to capitalize on it, explaining that it recognizes that the way cloud-based software is deployed, managed and billed does not fit the way most companies work today. Orbitera is a commerce platform designed to help companies simplify the process of buying and selling software in the cloud.
"We recognize that both enterprise customers and ISVs want to be able to use more than one cloud provider and have a way to conduct product trials and proofs of concept before building a full production deployment, all using their trusted SIs (System Integrators), resellers and normal sales cycles," Nan Boden, Head of Global Technology Partners for Google, said in a company blog.
