Contact: Brenon Daly
Rumors are swirling that BMC will announce the acquisition of AirWatch, a purchase that would extend the systems management provider’s reach into the fast-growing mobile device market. The deal, which may print next week, would mark the first major move to consolidate the highly fragmented mobile device management (MDM) space, a market where we count more than 50 vendors of all sizes. AirWatch is one of the largest MDM players, and will get valued that way, according to sources. The rumored price tag is about $250m, or roughly 10 times revenue.
If the deal comes together, it would represent BMC’s only significant acquisition in mobility. The company nibbled in the market last summer, reaching for startup Aeroprise in July. (That was primarily a technology transaction, basically adding mobile capabilities to BMC’s flagship Remedy IT Service Management Suite.) Assuming this deal closes, we would expect other tech giants – both IT management companies as well as security vendors – to look at acquiring MDM capabilities as well.