BMC Acquires Numara, ManageEngine Responds

BMC Software‘s recent buyout of Numara Software, a SaaS company, has potential implications for the IT management market. And some potential rivals such as ManageEngine are responding with competitive statements.

In announcing the Numara’s acquisition, BMC said its product portfolio combined with Numara’s, will represent the most comprehensive set of SaaS and on-premise IT management solutions across all business segments. And in the following prepared statement, BMC President of Enterprise Service Management (ESM) Paul Avenant outlined what the acquisition means for current and prospective BMC customers:

“Now BMC can effectively serve the entire spectrum of organizations hungry for IT management with products that truly meet the specific needs of their businesses. Numara’s solutions, customer base and sales and channel partners will round out BMC’s market leadership in Business Service management (BSM), and focus on customer care and support.”

Some rivals are already responding to the move. In a blog post, ManageEngine President Raj Sabhlok took shots at the BMC-Numara combo. ManageEngine also launched a new program, inviting current Numara customers to switch to ManageEngine’s ServiceDesk Plus help desk software solution for free for an entire year. In order to receive the free, one year license, Numara customers have to show proof that they have purchased licenses for either Numara Track-It! or Numara FootPrints. The offer is valid until March 31, 2012.

It’s anyone’s guess how this most recent IT management feud will play out. Both BMC and ManageEngine are claiming the acquisition is a good sign for their businesses, as it opens new marketing opportunities. We do know that for the time being, BMC has increased its customer base and expanded its channel reach by taking over Numara’s current channel partnerships. Time will tel if ManageEngine can stop that momentum with its latest effort to steer both BMC and Numara customers toward ServiceDesk Plus.