Planet Lowyat

Storage giant EMC said today that it’s angling to purchase Pi Corp, a Seattle-based company whose software and services will help users keep track of their personal data.

Pi develops software and online services to enable users to control how they find, access, share and protect everything from photos, videos, and music. The data can be stored online or locally. Pi hasn’t actually launched any products or services yet: They are in beta testing, according to EMC.

EMC sees Pi not only as part of its consumer push, but also an element of its cloud computing strategy, the next big thing in storage, according to one analyst.

The rapidly growing amount of personal data is what prompted EMC to open its wallet, according to CEO Joe Tucci. It’s a cash transaction, but EMC won’t disclose the amount which suggests EMC didn’t pay an irrational number for the company. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter. Once completed, Pi chief executive officer Paul Maritz will join EMC’s executive squad as general manager of its Cloud Infrastructure and Services Division. That means he’ll report directly to EMC head honcho Joe Tucci.

MC said the Pi team will join its web-hosted application operations, an area the company officially entered in January with the online backup service MozyEnterprise.

EMC is also reportedly in early talks with German software giant SAP to develop its online offerings.