HP expands services with purchase of analytics provider

Hewlett-Packard Co., in another step to expand its services beyond hardware sales, has acquired Vertica Systems Inc., a provider of real-time analytics.

Financial terms of the deal were not reported.

The acquisition will provide customers with a powerful solution for managing big data, which is especially useful in light of the volume and types of data generated in today’s information economy, HP officials said in a statement.

“Vertica’s real-time analytics platform has the ability to concurrently load and analyze data, allowing customers to turn information into insight and a competitive advantage,” HP said.

Purchase of the Billerica, Mass., company builds on HP’s strategic focus on cloud computing and connectivity, and it will enhance the company’s capabilities for optimizing information by adding sophisticated, real-time business analytics for large and complex sets of data in physical, virtual and cloud environments, the company said.

“In today’s highly competitive environment, customers need the ability to manage the increasing amounts of data and growing streams of information with more flexible, more dynamic architectures,” said Shane Robison, HP’s executive vice president and chief strategy and technology officer, in a statement announcing the deal last month.

“Vertica’s unique platform combines simplicity with industry-leading performance, allowing HP to leap ahead of the industry in the race to analyze massive amounts of data,” Robison said.

HP, of Palo Alto, Calif., ranks No. 12 on Washington Technology’s 2010 Top 100 list of the largest federal government contractors.