Cherwell Software
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Information technology |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder | Vance Brown, Arlen S. Feldman, Timothy G. Pfeifer |
| Headquarters | Colorado Springs , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Sam Gilliland (CEO) |
| Products | Cherwell Service Management, Express Software Manager |
| Parent | Ivanti |
Cherwell Software, LLC, was a privately owned American tech firm focused on developing IT service management solutions. Its headquarters were located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with an additional office situated in Swindon, UK. The company’s name was inspired by the River Cherwell in England.
History
Established in 2004 by Vance Brown, previously CEO of GoldMine Software (which later became part of Ivanti), along with Arlen S. Feldman and Timothy G. Pfeifer, Cherwell introduced its inaugural product in 2007.
Venture capital
In November 2012, Cherwell obtained a $25 million funding round from Insight Venture Partners. Notably, Insight acquired only common shares without gaining control over operations. CEO Vance Brown highlighted the company’s commitment to a long-term strategy without plans for a quick exit.
By January 2013, Cherwell’s service management platform received accreditation from the Service Desk Institute.
On February 27, 2017, private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) invested $50 million in Cherwell. Craig Harper stepped down as CEO in January 2018, with Vance Brown stepping in as interim CEO. In April 2018, KKR contributed an additional $172 million and secured a majority ownership by purchasing much of Insight’s stake.
Brown left the company in August 2018 to assume leadership at the National Cybersecurity Center, and Sam Gilliland was named CEO.
On June 4, 2020, Rob Salvagno representing KKR and Drew Harman from Insight joined Cherwell’s board of directors; Dave Welsh (KKR), who had been on the board since 2018, was appointed chairman.
In January 2021, Ivanti announced it had acquired Cherwell under undisclosed financial terms.
Products
The Cherwell Service Management (CSM) suite comprises IT service management tools developed according to Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) principles. Significant versions include CSM 5.0 released in September 2014 and CSM 6.0 launched in August 2015. The platform supports functionalities such as incident management, problem resolution, change management, release management, knowledge base administration, service level management, asset tracking, service catalog management, request fulfillment, and project management.
CSM’s server and main client application run solely on Microsoft Windows. Although mobile applications for iOS and Android were once available, they were discontinued in September 2019. Subsequently, partner StrataCom Inc. introduced a mobile app along with Kanban boards to facilitate mobile access and agile processes.
Cherwell also markets Express Software Manager, which focuses on IT asset and software asset management sectors.