A long-time supporter of OpenStack, Ericsson has struck a licensing deal to use commercial software from Mirantis in its Cloud System.

April 3, 2014

2 Min Read
Ericsson Commits to OpenStack With Mirantis

Ericsson has firmed up its commitment to open source cloud management software with a deal to license commercial OpenStack operating system software from specialist Mirantis, in which it has previously invested.

The Swedish vendor isn't providing financial details about the licensing deal for Mirantis's "production-grade" software, but has confirmed the engagement with Mirantis Inc. , which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper suggested the deal is for five years and worth around $30 million.

Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) unveiled its Cloud System, comprising its Blade Cluster and Smart Services Router platforms, in early 2013, noting at the time that the hardware would be supported by its Cloud Execution Environment, which includes a KVM hypervisor and OpenStack cloud management software. (See Ericsson Pushes Blades Into the Data Center and Ericsson Launches Cloud System.)

It laid the ground for a deal with Mirantis by investing in the Mountain View, Calif.-based company in June 2013, when it joined Red Hat, SAP Ventures, and existing backer WestSummit Capital in a $10 million Series A round. Mirantis had previously banked an initial $10 million in December 2012 from Dell Ventures, Intel Capital, and WestSummit Capital. (See Ericsson, Red Hat, and SAP Ventures Back Mirantis with Investment.)

Ericsson is only the latest communications sector engagement for Mirantis, which has already helped the likes of AT&T, Comcast, NTT Docomo, Sprint, and Verizon build their cloud systems. Mirantis is also already an industry partner for Vello Systems, Big Switch, and Juniper Networks. (See Vello Deployed In The Pacnet Enabled Network and Big Switch Ships Open SDN Product Suite.)

OpenStack is fast becoming the de facto software for data center and cloud infrastructure management. Other recent announcements that include support for the open source operating system include:

— Ray Le Maistre, Circle me on Google+ Follow me on TwitterVisit my LinkedIn profile, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading

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