Micro Focus, a Berkshire-based software business, has reached a definitive agreement to purchase the software segment of Hewlett Packard Enterprise for $8.8bn.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Software is a global infrastructure software provider, offering a range of software across IT operations management, with over 50,000 customers, and approximately 5,000 partners.
Commenting on the acquisition, Meg Whitman, president and CEO at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, said: “We believe that the software assets that will be a part of this combination will bring better value to both our customers and shareholders as part of a more focused software company committed to growing these businesses on a stand-alone basis.”
The announcement follows a string of acquisitions made by Micro Focus to expand in scale, creating one of the world’s largest infrastructure software companies with a global footprint.
Kevin Loosemore, executive chairman at Micro Focus, said: “The proposed merger with HPE Software is consistent with our recent acquisitions of Serena Software and the Attachmate Group.
“The combination of Micro Focus with HPE Software will give customers more choice as they seek to maximise the value of existing IT assets, leveraging their business logic and data along with next-generation technologies to innovate in new ways with the lowest possible risk.”
Micro Focus and Hewlett Packard Enterprise have also announced their plans to enter into a commercial partnership with SUSE, naming the German-based open-source software company as Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s preferred Linux partner.