SourceLabs — the company behind a series of "self-support" tool suites for Linux and Open Source software — has apparently attracted the attention of information systems heavyweight EMC and their Atmos line of cloud-storage software, resulting in the acquisition of a portion of SourceLabs's assets and employees by EMC.

According to EMC, the acquired assets — the specifics of which have not been revealed — will aid the company in strengthening the Atmos software platform, which provides automated management of multiple petabytes of information across widely divergent geographies. One of EMC's prime selling points for Atmos is its "self-configuring and self-healing capabilities," an offering that will likely benefit greatly from the diagnostic and repair tools offered by SourceLabs. A number of other products in the company's portfolio could also benefit from SourceLabs technology, though EMC is, for now, maintaining that improving Atmos was the impetus for the acquisition.

The companies stressed that the deal does not involve an acquisition of SourceLabs by EMC, but rather a portion of SourceLabs's technology and workforce, an undisclosed number of whom will join EMC's cloud computing division. SourceLabs will continue as an independently-owned company.