Dell said Friday it has purchased backup software vendor AppAssure, in the first of an expected run of acquisitions following Dell's appointment of former CA CEO John Swainson as head of a new software division.

Analysts have predicted that Swainson, a veteran IBM executive and former CEO of CA Technologies, will build out Dell's software portfolio with a focus on system management and cloud services, and the AppAssure deal seems to fit that profile.

AppAssure's technology provides backup and recovery across virtual, physical and cloud environments. It includes support for both VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization, and also has products aimed at Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, SQL Server and Windows desktops.

"At a practical level, AppAssure enables Dell customers to seamlessly move and replicate data across our existing platforms -- from an EqualLogic array in a remote office to a Compellent array at a data recovery site," Dell Enterprise Solutions Group President Brad Anderson said in a statement.

AppAssure, which is based in Reston, Virginia, has about 230 employees, who will be retained, according to Dell. It competes with companies such as Axcient and Veeam.