Social network giant Facebook has agreed to purchase app infrastructure provider Parse. The company, which was founded two years ago, provides back-end support for cross-platform apps.
In a statement regarding the acquisition Facebook said:
“By making Parse a part of the Facebook Platform, we want to enable developers to rapidly build apps that span mobile platforms and devices.”
Facebook should benefit from Parse’s ability to offer server support and software development kits (SDKs) that make app development easier.
According to Gartner analyst Brian Blau:
“This will help them on all mobile platforms, and will be used to help attract developers to better integrate with Facebook’s other services.”
The Parse platform will likely continue to support its third-party partners, thus providing a new source of revenue for Facebook.
One of Parse’s services provides the ability to support social integration by “linking accounts across networks, resetting passwords, and keeping everything safe and secure.”
Facebook says it will continue to supports apps even if they do not use Facebook integration.
