Imation has acquired intellectual property and other assets, including key data deduplication technology, from Nine Technology.

This data deduplication software engine eliminates redundant data, enabling shorter backup windows, quicker recovery, lower infrastructure costs and more robust and reliable data protection. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Nine Technology will continue to operate as a standalone service provider of data protection offerings and be a strategic partner for Imation.

"We chose to acquire this technology because we recognize the power of block-level deduplication. This will be one of the key differentiating features of Imation's data protection portfolio for small and medium businesses (SMBs)," said Ian Williams, Imation vice president, global marketing and product management.

The acquired data backup and recovery intellectual property is a patented two-stage, block-level deduplication technology.

Nine Technology founder and former chief executive officer Tom Gelson, and former Nine Technology chief technology officer Alex Stoev join Imation as key additions to the company's scalable storage team.