Seagate Technology, a maker of hard disk drives, announced the acquisition of Mirra, a provider of networked digital content protection products for the home and small business markets. Mirra, Inc. will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Seagate Technology.

“Mirra is a perfect strategic fit for Seagate as we look to extend our branded offerings and to deliver simple, reliable consumer solutions for safeguarding, sharing and accessing the consumer’s digital life,” said Brian Dexheimer, Seagate executive vice president, storage business.

The rapid adoption of digital devices by consumers and small business professionals have set the stage for emerging opportunities centered on management of digital files, email, photos, videos and other personal content, according to Diffusion Group research firm: on average 30% annual growth of broadband in homes over the last four years, with over 41.7 million networked households today; 56% of Internet broadband households with digital still cameras and 62% with digital video cameras. Other market drivers indicate the need for intelligent digital content management systems: 93% of broadband users have digital still photos on their PC hard drive and 46% have digital video, plus 70% have digital music files also stored on their hard drive, Diffusion Group believes.

Mirra products eliminate the complexity of managing valuable documents across multiple PCs by integrating PC software, Web services, and an intelligent “always-on” network appliance into an all-in-one content protection solution.  Mirra provides continuous backup of data from multiple PCs, free secure online remote access and file sharing, and automatic file synchronization across networked computers.

“By bringing Mirra's innovative software and services talent together with Seagate’s hardware expertise, global resources and world-class brand, we will set the stage for significant growth in value-added branded products,” said Tom Shea, Mirra’s chief executive officer. “Together, we will change the way consumers protect, store and access their digital content.”