Josh Wieder

EMC purchased iWave Software last week. iWave designs storage automation applications - their IT Automator looks a lot like Eucalyptus or Cloudstack, and provides the same sort of functionality (a pretty GUI for private Clouds). Whether its been configuring vSphere, chatting with their account executives from Boston to South Carolina, studying for their certifications or cutting my fingers on the rails to their cabinets EMC and I have grown close over the years. They have been the undertow shaping the currents of our industry for some time now. I'm very interested to see whether the plans for iWave will extend beyond VMAX . iWave's IT Automator

Freelancer.Com, a clearinghouse for employers to higher developers and technicians for one-off jobs that need fixin' based in Tampa Florida, acquired competitor vWorker last week. Both companies are privately held. vWorker was founded in 2001 as RentACoder.com. For Freelancer, this could be a great purchase. Dismal credit-strapped economies provide significant advantages for companies that are cash-rich and that (gasp!) create wealth by serving customers that do not need to rely on the fleeting good graces of investors, bankers and taxpayers. Let's see if this is the beginning of an acquisition phase for the company. Combined with a growing base of employers with diverse employment needs that fear the commitment of new hires, a few key acquisitions and a smart marketing campaign could pay off big for Freelancer.Com. Full disclosure: I've worked for Freelancer in the past (however I have not done so for over a year, and I was not paid for this post, or any other post on