The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →CenturyLink announced it had acquired AppFog on June 14, 2013, adding a developer-focused platform-as-a-service (PaaS) to the Savvis Cloud portfolio. The company planned to pair AppFog’s application platform with Savvis infrastructure and CenturyLink’s network, and described routes for public and private cloud deployments. The purchase price was not disclosed.
What CenturyLink acquired
AppFog was a Portland-based PaaS provider. A PaaS gives developers a managed platform for building and running applications, rather than requiring them to assemble and operate every layer of the underlying infrastructure themselves. CenturyLink described AppFog as supporting multiple programming languages and interoperability between public and private cloud environments.
CenturyLink presented the acquisition as a combination of services: AppFog’s developer platform, Savvis’s infrastructure-as-a-service and cloud services, and CenturyLink’s network. Jeff Von Deylen, then president of CenturyLink’s Savvis organization, said the combined capabilities would help developers operate and connect applications. This was the company’s strategic rationale, not evidence that every planned integration was completed. CenturyLink’s June 14, 2013 announcement is the primary source for the deal and its stated plans.
How the multicloud plan was supposed to work
The announcement described AppFog as a way to bring application development into the Savvis Cloud offering while connecting public-cloud use with private-cloud environments. CenturyLink outlined two distribution paths:
#1 Best Overall
- Public PaaS: The company said AppFog’s public cloud PaaS would be extended through the savvisdirect online channel.
- Private and dedicated deployments: CenturyLink said it intended to offer these to Savvis enterprise clients.
These were announced plans. The acquisition release does not establish that both routes launched, how they were implemented, or whether either remains available.
What CenturyLink said about AppFog’s scale
CenturyLink’s 2013 acquisition announcement described AppFog as having more than 100,000 developers, more than 150,000 deployed applications, and hundreds of developers joining daily. These are company-reported figures from the announcement; the cited source does not independently verify them, and they should not be read as current usage statistics.
Rank #2
How AppFog fit the 2013 PaaS market
Contemporary coverage described AppFog as built around Cloud Foundry. AppFog chief executive Lucas Carlson called the acquisition “a resounding validation for Cloud Foundry,” an assessment of the deal rather than an independent conclusion about the technology or market. The Register’s June 2013 report provides that context.
TechCrunch’s contemporaneous account described AppFog as a public service with a private PaaS strategy and named Cloud Foundry, OpenShift, Stackato, and Apprenda among its competitors. Those names describe the market discussion at the time; they are not a current comparison of products.
Rank #3
How much did CenturyLink pay?
The acquisition price was undisclosed in CenturyLink’s announcement. The available cited reports do not provide a confirmed amount.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happened to AppFog afterward?
In January 2014, TechCrunch reported that Savvis had been renamed CenturyLink Technology Solutions and that AppFog retained its name within CenturyLink Cloud and the new organization. In May 2014, CenturyLink described AppFog and Tier 3 as acquisitions integrated with Savvis in forming the CenturyLink Technology Solutions business unit. These reports establish an organizational snapshot in 2014, not the service’s later history.
The sources cited here do not establish whether AppFog is available under its own name today, whether another service carries forward its features, or what current terms apply. A historical reference to AppFog’s place in CenturyLink’s organization should not be taken as confirmation of present-day availability.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
