LaCie has announced that it is to merge with Caleido, the Swiss creator of online storage service Wuala.
The move signals the French external storage device manufacturer’s entry into the cloud storage service market.
A statement from the newly merged enterprise said it plans to revolutionize the storage industry by building a unique and sustainable cloud storage service.
With just 11 staff, Wuala has built up a sizeable user base, mostly in Europe, since its launch in August 2008.
Its service include innovative online storage that allows its users to store, back up, access, and share files with one another from anywhere in the world.
Users start with 1GB of storage but can get as much as they want, either by trading idle disk space or by buying additional storage.
Dominik Grolimund, co-founder and CEO of Caleido AG, said the merger was a major leap forward for Wuala and would take it to the next level.
He described LaCie as the perfect match for the start-up.
"Together we will realize the vision we embarked on more than four years ago while researching the basics of Wuala at the ETH Zurich: to build a reliable and secure cloud storage by integrating millions of devices around the world," he said.
Philippe Spruch, founder and CEO of LaCie, said it had a strong vision for where the future of storage is headed.
He said the merger had allowed it to acquire a very innovative online storage solution that will transform the business from a leading hardware manufacturer to a comprehensive digital storage provider.
"LaCie believes storage versatility will influence the industry, and we look forward to providing our customers with new, cutting-edge ways to store their valuable data through our upcoming product offerings," he said.
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