Virtual systems management vendor Veeam Software Tuesday announced it had acquired for an undisclosed amount a company called Nworks that makes software enabling HP and Microsoft products to separately manage VMware virtual servers. (Read our Q&A with VMware CEO Diane Greene.)

Veeam, a privately-held company that was named one of Network World's "10 IT software companies to watch" last year, intends to resell Nworks enterprise management "connectors" that bridge the gap between HP Operations Manager and Microsoft Systems Center Operations Manager and VMware virtual infrastructure. Veeam offered its FastSCP product as freeware and built several applications to manage and restore virtual environments on top of that. The Nworks technology will augment Veeam's suite of virtual management tools with the capability to manage both physical and virtual environments from one tool, but also provide more deep insight into how VMware, HP and Microsoft technologies work. (View slideshow of 2008's hottest tech M&A deals.)

"The acquisition expands our functionality and bridges the gap between virtual and physical management. Nworks' technology connects the physical and virtual world," says Ratmir Timashev, CEO of Veeam. "If the customer needs to integrate with Microsoft or HP, we have that tool. If the customer just wants to manage VMware ESX Server, we have those tools as well. [The acquisition] enables us to provide a range of capabilities, but our technology doesn't overlap."

Veeam, founded by former Aelita Software executives, will also gain inroads into the 350 large enterprise customers Nworks had as well as the partnerships the vendor developed with VMware, HP and Microsoft. Nworks built its software business out of an HP-focused consultancy, and Timashev says he values the company's technology and customers as much as he does the knowledge of its people.

"They bring to us a unique expertise in terms of what it really means to integrate these management capabilities and a good relationship with VMware," Timashev says.

And Veeam will help Nworks further its development efforts.

"We're very excited about what our combined team has to offer," said Greg Stephens, Nworks president, in a statement. "Veeam's experienced R&D team will help us accelerate our co-development activities with VMware and our other strategic partners. The combined resources of both companies better equip us for supporting our customers and continuing to enhance our products."

The combined company will offer six products, in addition to the FastSCP freeware. Veeam will continue to deliver its Backup, Reporter, Monitor and Configurator applications, and add to its portfolio two Nworks tools. Nworks Smart Plug-In for VMware for HP Software Operations Manager can be used to directly incorporate VMware management data into HP Operations Manager. And Nworks Management Pack for VMware for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager does the same with the Microsoft management application.

Veeam will assume the staff of Nworks and plans to detail a product road map in coming months.