Big fish, eats small fish: Big enterprises, acquire eat small enterprises — law of nature cloned into law of economics and tech. A further proof of this law has been given to us by IBM as it gulped down StrongLoop to continue its aggressive expansion into cloud services.
The San Mateo based startup, StrongLoop, which has focused on developing applications for software big wigs through Node.js, a open source JavaScript language for programmers had been acquired at an undisclosed amount. The acquisition will help IBM in developing applications for enterprises.
Terms of the deal are yet to be made public. The acquired startup had a healthy run till now and was fed with VC funds regularly. Shasta and Ignition Partners had funded $9 million into StrongLoop fairly recently, with an $8 Million round in 2013.
StrongLoop’s Node.js is likely going to be tagged with other IBM software such as MobileFirst and WebSphere. JaveFramework’s Node.js development framework caters largely to the demand of large enterprises, by developing API apps equipped to handle big data.
Node.js is a current favorite of the developers and is growing at a unprecedented rate.
Enterprises are focused on digital transformation to reach new channels, tap new business models, and personalize their engagement with clients,
said Marie Wieck, general manager, Middleware, IBM Systems, in a statement.
APIs are a critical ingredient. By bringing together StrongLoop’s Node.js capabilities to rapidly create APIs with IBM’s leadership in Java and API Management on our cloud platform, we are unlocking the innovation potential of two vibrant development communities.
The sole intention of IBM was to merge Node.js with other IBM services like Bluemix. IBM says that from today, Node.js developers can use IBM’s Bluemix, the company’s platform-as-a-service offering.
Combining StrongLoop’s tools and services with IBM’s WebSphere and Java capabilities, IBM will help clients bridge Java and Node.js development platforms, which can enable clients to extract greater value from their application investments,
the company said in a statement.
An open source tech platform, Node.js will benefit IBM’s wish to indulge in community participation. The service has its own foundation called the . Node.js Foundation.
