Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co said it would buy data storage provider Nimble Storage for $1.09 billion in cash, as part of the company's focus on the hybrid IT market.

HPE will also assume or pay out Nimble's unvested equity awards with a value of about $200 million at close, as part of the deal.

Nimble Storage's entry-to mid-range flash-based products will help HPE cater to customers across all segments, the company said.

HPE Chief Executive Meg Whitman is focusing on a few areas such as networking, storage and technology services since the company was spun off from Hewlett-Packard Co in 2015.

HPE said in January it would buy privately held cloud software company SimpliVity for $650 million in cash.