Scalent Systems

About Scalent Systems

Scalent Systems Inc. operated as a software company specializing in infrastructure virtualization for data centers. Founded in 2003, the Palo Alto-based firm established itself as a provider of solutions designed to make data center operations more dynamic, scalable, and efficient. The company was started by a team of Silicon Valley veterans and secured approximately $49 million in funding from venture capital firms including Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, JK&B Capital, and Credit Suisse before its acquisition.

The core of Scalent's business was its software that allowed for the real-time management and automation of physical and virtual IT infrastructure. The company's main product was the Scalent Infrastructure Manager, also known as the Virtual Operating Environment (V/OE). This software platform acted as a central control panel, enabling a single administrator to dynamically allocate computing, storage, and network resources as needed. This capability, termed "Just-In-Time Server Repurposing," allowed enterprise data centers, managed service providers, and government entities to deploy and repurpose infrastructure without physical changes to servers or cables, thereby reducing operational costs.

The company's open-architecture approach was a key selling point, as it allowed customers to integrate the software with their existing industry-standard servers and networking equipment. This distinguished it from more proprietary, vertically integrated systems offered by competitors. In 2009, Scalent entered into a partnership with Dell, which began offering the V/OE software. This collaboration culminated on July 1, 2010, when Dell announced its acquisition of Scalent Systems for an undisclosed amount. Following the acquisition, Dell integrated Scalent's technology into its own Advanced Infrastructure Manager (AIM) to bolster its converged infrastructure solutions and compete more effectively in the virtualized data center market. The acquisition involved retaining Scalent's team of approximately 40 employees to continue developing the technology within Dell's enterprise division.