LaCie and Wuala Merger to Bring People Closer to the Cloud

LaCie has just announced a merger with Caleido AG, the developers of Wuala, an online storage solution that helps users securely store their data or media files in the cloud. The announcement marks LaCie's dedication to increase the quality of its products and services and better support the technology advancements that will boost the adoption of cloud computing. The merger with Wuala will provide LaCie with access to a technology that allows users to securely and easily back up their data, which can then be accessed from anywhere, granted that an Internet connection is available.

“Users will gain online storage while trading disk space; that way, they will securely protect their valuable data. They can access it from anywhere and easily share files with selected peers. As privacy tends to be a major issue when talking about digital life and data management, everything is encrypted and a robust rights management system protects files from unauthorized access,” said Dominik Grolimund, co-creator of Wuala, “We will also bring this technology to enterprises and professional customers, who will soon take advantage of our services with both cloud and data center-based storage.”

According to LaCie, the current merger with Wuala will enable the storage company to implement the first real “cloud storage” technology into its wide range of storage products. This will consequently provide the company's customers with a more powerful and versatile product that offers a combined solution of local and online storage that can easily and securely be accessed from anywhere. This feature is basically one of the first steps towards the adoption of cloud computing.

“For 20 years, LaCie massively promoted hard drive technologies; today, as a leader on storage market, we will be a first mover in the next leading technologies: flash-based storage, and cloud storage. With this merger, LaCie will morph from a pure hardware manufacturer to a solution provider. These new technologies will be amazing for our customers and will enhance their experience,” Philippe Spruch, CEO of LaCie, concluded.