Last week, Sun announced its intent to acquire innotek, the company that makes VirtualBox virtualization software. By enabling developers to more efficiently build, test, and run applications on multiple platforms, VirtualBox extends the Sun xVM platform onto the desktop.

With more than 4 million downloads since January 2007, VirtualBox enables desktops or laptops running Windows, Linux, Mac, or Solaris to run multiple, different operating systems side-by-side, easily switching between them. This lets software developers more easily build multi-tier or cross-platform applications.

In November, Sun announced its intention to acquire Vaau, a leading provider of Enterprise Role Management (ERM) software. Today, Sun officially closed the deal. Vaau's ERM product will be roled into Sun's Java Enterprise suite of software.

By leveraging ERM, organizations can reduce costs by and managing user access with a common vocabulary that links business and IT. Vaau's RBACx solution combined with the provisioning and identity auditing capabilities of Sun's Sun's identity management portfolio powered by the Solaris 10 Operating System will enable organizations to streamline the provisioning process and significantly reduce the cost of auditing.

For some interesting thoughts on the acquisition, go here.