The purchase by the tech-savvy private equity firm is the first piece in an aggressive growth strategy that aims to swallow up other companies that complement Continuum’s vertically integrated service delivery model.

Aldrin Brown, Editor-in-Chief

June 15, 2017

2 Min Read
Continuum Gets Acquired by Thoma Bravo

Continuum Managed Services has been acquired by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, which purchased the company from its previous owner of six years, Summit Partners.

Terms were not disclosed for the deal, which closed late last week but was announced today after the close of trading.

Thoma Bravo’s past and present portfolio includes companies like Solarwinds, Sonicwall, Blue Coat Systems and LANDesk.

George

“The timing in this market is stunningly spectacular,” Continuum CEO Michael George told MSPmentor on the eve of the announcement. “This is the next chapter in a rapidly changing landscape.”

The acquisition is the first piece in an aggressive growth strategy that aims to swallow up other technology companies that complement Continuum’s vertically integrated service delivery model.

“We’re the first of what I think is a host of dominos to fall,” George said. “We are going to be the consolidator.”

The purchase of Continuum was done through Thoma Bravo’s Discover Fund growth equity arm.

That same unit will lead an effort to acquire other category leaders, George said.

“We’re the first piece of that big puzzle,” he said. “We will be buying and consolidating.”

“I don’t know who might be next, but obviously our entire strategic differentiation is that we have this vertically integrated solutions platform with NOC, SOC and help desk all integrated to it.”

Continuum has more than 1,400 employees around the world, 5,800 partners and monitors more than 1 million endpoints.

As much as anything, Thoma Bravo is investing in George, his team and their ability to execute on their long- and near-term strategy.

“We know this market well, and have followed the company for a long time,” A.J. Rohde, a Partner at Thoma Bravo, said in a statement. “What Michael George and his team have delivered on in terms of an innovative product suite and full software and services model has been very impressive, and we can’t wait to work with them to accelerate the world-class offering they deliver to MSPs, both organically and through add-on acquisitions.”

Partners will see the impact quickly, George said.

“We have more capital on the balance sheet than we’ve ever had in the history of the business,” he said. “They’re going to double down on that strategy and invest more in our partners.

“All of our partners should be feeling the effects of that nearly immediately.”

 

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About the Author(s)

Aldrin Brown

Editor-in-Chief, Penton

Veteran journalist Aldrin Brown comes to Penton Technology from Empire Digital Strategies, a business-to-business consulting firm that he founded that provides e-commerce, content and social media solutions to businesses, nonprofits and other organizations seeking to create or grow their digital presence.

Previously, Brown served as the Desert Bureau Chief for City News Service in Southern California and Regional Editor for Patch, AOL's network of local news sites. At Patch, he managed a staff of journalists and more than 30 hyper-local and business news and information websites throughout California. In addition to his work in technology and business, Brown was the city editor for The Sun, a daily newspaper based in San Bernardino, CA; the college sports editor at The Tennessean, Nashville, TN; and an investigative reporter at the Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA.

 

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