EMC Polishes Windows Offerings

EMC on Thursday boosted its Microsoft credentials with the acquisition of Interlink Group, a professional IT services firm that supports Microsoft software.

Interlink specializes in IT gear, software integration, enterprise content management and customer relationship management for Microsoft environments.

While financial terms were not disclosed, the purchase does two things for EMC: boosts its credibility as a supporter of Microsoft software, and pads the information systems vendor’s growing services portfolio.

Interlink’s services portfolio complements EMC’s existing Microsoft services for strategy, infrastructure and application development and managed services.

EMC gained these assets from its January purchase of Internosis. Microsoft, meanwhile, has been making its own storage moves as of late in an effort to gain a stronger presence in the storage market.

Internosis had some 250 service professionals to help clients minimize risk and maximize productivity around directory services, knowledge management, collaboration and end-to-end migrations.

Interlink, which also brings expertise related to Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM software, will add another 180 services staffers to the growing EMC service team.

“We are thrilled to take our proven model and join forces with EMC to create one of the nation’s largest and most credentialed Microsoft services organizations,” Interlink CEO Bart Hammond said in a statement.

Interlink, of Englewood, Colo., will become a part of EMC’s Microsoft practice within EMC Technology Solutions, the company’s professional services unit.

Interlink’s services will be sold through its existing team as well as through EMC’s North American sales channels and business partners.

EMC can’t claim the breadth of services of IBM or HP, but its portfolio is growing at a solid clip.

In its most recent quarter, EMC reported that service and maintenance grew 6 percent to $396 million.

The Interlink buy also continues EMC’s shopping spree to become a premier provider of so-called information lifecycle management (ILM), a strategy in which data is stored according to its value from its creation until its destruction.

EMC bought data protection provider Kashya earlier this week.

Article courtesy of InternetNews.com