This IDC Flash discusses VMware's acquisition of Akimbi. Last month, VMware acquired venture-backed start-up Akimbi in a move to extend its reach in the virtualization market to encompass virtualized test management. VMware announced that it has completed its Akimbi acquisition but did not disclose the financial details of the transaction. Akimbi aggressively pushed into the virtualization test management arena with technology that enables users to leverage virtual machine technology from VMware and Microsoft to create and manage virtual testing environments. Assuming effective execution, IDC expects leverage for the synergies that exist across Akimbi's life-cycle management focus and VMware's current and future areas of focus in a virtualization market that is poised for dynamic growth. This acquisition exemplifies what IDC expects to be growing confluence across the virtualization and application life-cycle management (ALM) arenas, which bodes well for users seeking to gain virtualization benefits when building software and managing software development.