YouSendIt acquires Found, adds file searching to move its 38m users closer to a ‘cloud-nostic future’

File sharing service YouSendIt has acquired Found Software, the makers of Found for Mac, a service that allows users to find files and content on not only their hard drives, but also across various services. With this deal, YouSendIt says that it will be able to offer its customers the ability to have data from email, desktops, and the cloud be “instantly accessible and manageable.”

In this new age of computing, storing data in the cloud has become standard for many. YouSendIt’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse agrees with this and says that his industry “has placed a huge burden on users to manage their cloud data — effectively isolating it across a growing number of proprietary platforms.” With Found, the company says it will realize a vision where “users can access and manage the information they’re looking for, no matter where it’s stored.”

Found Software’s app, Found for Mac, launched last April and operates as a search engine across many different areas, including Google Drive,  Dropbox, Gmail, and any user hard drives. Last fall, it added integration with Evernote and Microsoft SkyDrive.

With 98 percent of Fortune 500 companies using YouSendIt, the service was in search of something to help it scale. What exactly could it do after file sharing that would keep business users coming back for more? Companies were already using the service because of its “world-class security features,” but what else was in its roadmap? With Found, businesses will be able to search and send using one service because their IT departments would have already vetted and approved it.

YouSendIt says that the Found team created a platform that allows developers to build “smart applications on top of a user’s data, whether it’s stored in the cloud, on their mobile device, or on their laptop.” Matte Scheinker, YouSendIt’s Chief Product Officer, says that this integration will help customers “be the smartest people in the room by gathering insight and value from their files and data — rather than overcharge them for commodity space on servers in the cloud.”

The company says 38 million users will benefit from this acquisition as it moves forward with this idea of helping data be found regardless of the platform — something YouSendIt calls a “cloud-nostic future”.

Stephen Brady, Found’s CEO and co-founder, says that they accepted YouSendIt’s offer because “none of the relevant players in this industry have clarity and foresight about this vision. We’re thrilled about the passion, leadership, and entrepreneurial culture at YouSendIt as well as the opportunity to deliver on this fundamental promise for millions of users all over the world.”

The deal is a standard acquisition in which the Found team will begin working for YouSendIt and the Found for Mac product will remain active. Prior to this, Found had raised $1 million from New Enterprise Associates and Rembrandt Venture Partners.

YouSendIt recently redesigned its mobile app for the iPhone and iPod touch to help professionals be more productive on any device wherever they might be. The company is also not without competition. It faces challenges from Dropbox, Box, Oxygen Cloud, and many others.

Photo credit: ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP/Getty Images