AirWatch
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Enterprise mobility management software |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder | John Marshall |
| Fate | Acquired by VMware, Inc. in 2014; later divested and rebranded as Omnissa in 2024 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta , United States |
Key people | John Marshall (Founder, President and CEO), Alan Dabbiere (Chairman since 2006) |
| Products | Enterprise mobility management solutions, standalone platforms for content, application, and email administration |
| Parent | VMware, Inc. (2014–2023), Omnissa (2024–present) |
AirWatch was a provider headquartered in Atlanta specializing in enterprise mobility management (EMM) solutions and standalone platforms designed for the administration of content, applications, and email. After being acquired by VMware, Inc. in February 2014, the term AirWatch applied to both the organization and its software product. The product continued under the AirWatch brand following the acquisition but was renamed in 2018 to Workspace ONE Unified Endpoint Management (UEM).
In November 2023, when Broadcom acquired VMware, the End User Computing division was divested to KKR, which subsequently rebranded it as Omnissa. This transaction was finalized in July 2024 across the United States and Ireland.
History
Established in 2003 under the name Wandering WiFi by entrepreneur John Marshall, who also acted as president and CEO, AirWatch concentrated on solutions for enterprise mobility. Since 2006, Alan Dabbiere has held the position of chairman. In February 2013, AirWatch completed its initial funding round, securing $200 million from investors including Insight Venture Partners and Accel.
By July 2013, AirWatch broadened its offerings through the acquisition of Motorola Solutions' Mobility Services Platform (MSP), enhancing support for rugged devices. VMware purchased AirWatch on February 24, 2014, for $1.5 billion, incorporating it into its broader enterprise mobility portfolio. The software underwent multiple rebrandings—from AirWatch by VMware to VMware AirWatch—and ultimately adopted the name Workspace ONE Unified Endpoint Management with release 9.4 in May 2018.
The platform is occasionally identified as VMware Workspace ONE UEM powered by AirWatch. In April 2018, AirWatch UK Limited was officially dissolved as the company became fully integrated within VMware’s organizational framework.