Cloud-consulting company Appirio wins $60 million

SAN FRANCISCO, March 15 Thu Mar 15, 2012 3:00am EDT

SAN FRANCISCO, March 15 (Reuters) - Cloud-consulting company Appirio said it raised $60 million, in a round of funding led by General Atlantic, that will allow it to buy other companies and build out its development platform, CloudSpokes.

The funding, from General Atlantic and existing investors Sequoia Capital and GGV Capital, underscores the venture's continuing belief in the cloud, which allows businesses to buy computing resources such as software applications and data management much as they buy utilities. Previously, companies typically maintained their own computing infrastructure.

Appirio helps companies such as Avon, Motorola and Starbucks move to cloud-based services offered by companies including Amazon, Google, and Workday.

The San Mateo, California-based company previously has had three funding rounds, most recently in 2009, when it raised more than $10 million.