It was just a month ago when Hitachi Data Systems acquired BlueArc to expand its storage offerings. Now the company is doing it again with Shoden Data Systems. The details are short and simple: Hitachi Data Systems is looking to expand its storage footprint in a very large way. Here’s the scoop …

You may not have heard of Shoden Data Systems, and that would be because the company is located in South Africa. But Shoden is big there, delivering data storage technology across the entire region in addition to its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom. Hitachi Data System’s interest in the company was piqued because of its “successful 11-year partnership,” during which Shoden showed “significant” growth. Thus, Hitcahi Data Systems decided to take the next logical step and acquire the company altogether.

The International Monetary Fund places South Africa as an area where large economic growth will take place over the next four years, and Hitachi Data Systems believes that with Shoden under its wing, it can proliferate deeper into the South African marketplace and provide customers and partners a unique “data center advantage.” Both companies see the acquisition as a win-win, and promise to keep in place the customer support and service that Shoden is renowned for.

If you’re wondering how all this trickles back to the good old United States and the channel here, it’s simple: Hitachi Data Systems is a rising star on the data scene, and with the recent update of its True North channel program, now might be a good time to rethink which vendor you’re partnering with for data.