VMware has announced its intent to acquire Datrium, a California-based provider of hybrid cloud infrastructure, adding further options to its disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS) offerings.

The move is designed with VMware’s continued focus on hybrid cloud in mind – with the company citing an IDC forecast showing DRaaS was the fastest growing segment for data protection use cases, with a $4.5bn market at 15% CAGR.

The company has – as CloudTech’s analysis from VMworld last August noted – been steadfast in partnering with the largest cloud providers under the tagline of ‘any cloud, any application, any device, with intrinsic security.’ VMware Cloud on AWS is the best known, while collaborations with Google and Microsoft are ongoing.

“Hybrid cloud has emerged as the most common cloud strategy for our customers,” wrote John Gilmartin, VMware SVP and GM of hyperconverged infrastructure in a blog post. “With organisations sometimes having thousands of applications – both existing legacy apps and new cloud microservices – securing and maintaining those apps in hybrid cloud environments is critical to success for many of our customers.”

Gilmartin added the move would be a ‘significant move forward to help customers build hybrid clouds by combining the consistent infrastructure and operations of VMware Cloud with Datrium DRaaS to reduce the cost and complexity of business continuity.’

From Datrium’s side, the company – who secured $60m in series D funding in late 2018 – had previously pushed its expertise in securing VMware Cloud on AWS deployments. Tim Page, Datrium CEO, noted the rationale behind the acquisition.

“We fundamentally believe that DR should be easy, and organisations should not need to content with VM format conversions or lengthy rehydration periods when they are in the midst of a disaster,” Page wrote. “VMware has a similar commitment to providing seamless experiences in the hybrid cloud world.”

Financial terms of the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, were not disclosed.

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