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Google, Somewhere In The Cloud, Acquires Firebase

Google announced Tuesday the acquisition of Firebase, an API backend service helping developers build real-time apps for iOS, Android and the Web.

Mobile is one of the fastest-growing categories for Google, but many app developers still struggle with the nuances of building applications. Firebase allows developers to sync data across Web and mobile apps without managing connections or writing complex sync logic.

The Firebase team, under the leadership of co-founders James Tamplin and Andrew Lee, will work to bring new features. The company supports about 110,000 registered developers on its platform. Tamplin believes Google's backing and talent will allow the company to grow beyond what it could do alone. "We’re proud of what we’ve built over the last three years, but we've only scratched the surface of the opportunity ahead of us," he wrote in a blog post.

While Google gains access to Firebase's talented engineers and technology, Firebase gains access to Google's cloud infrastructure suite. Cloud Platform customers gain access to Firebase's rapid development capabilities. Working together gives clients a complete platform for mobile and Web apps.

Firebase's service, which can store and sync data instantly, will continue to work as a stand-alone business, says Greg DeMichillie, director of product management at Google.

Analysts expect cloud storage to skyrocket in 2015, with leaders like Amazon, Apple, DropBox, Google, and Microsoft and Google. Raymond James Equity Research Analyst Brian Alexander expects the storage market to gain momentum and resume its 3% to 4% year on year annual growth in 2015.

At Google Cloud Platform Live on Nov. 4, the company will demonstrate new Firebase features and integrations with Cloud Platform, DeMichillie wrote in a blog post.

 

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