Compuware

Compuware Corporation
	File:Compuware logo 2019.svg
Company type	Public
Traded as	Nasdaq: CPWR
Industry	Information technology
Founded	1973; 53 years ago
Founder	Peter Karmanos, Jr.; Thomas Thewes; Allen B. Cutting
Defunct	2020
Fate	Acquired by BMC Software
Headquarters	Detroit, Michigan, United States
Products	Enterprise software
Services	IT services
Website	bmc.com/it-solutions/brands/compuware.html

Compuware Corporation was a United States-based software company with its main office located in Detroit. The firm specialized in enterprise-level software and IT service solutions, focusing primarily on testing, development, automation, and performance management for mainframe computer environments utilized by large enterprises.

History

Established in 1973 by business leaders Peter Karmanos, Jr., Thomas Thewes, and Allen B. Cutting, Compuware began as a provider of specialized technical services. By 1978, it expanded operations with a satellite office covering the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore regions. The company entered the public market in 1992 on the NASDAQ exchange under the ticker CPWR and achieved over $1 billion in revenue by 1998.

In 2003, Compuware moved its headquarters to a newly constructed facility in downtown Detroit. In November 2014, the headquarters property was sold for $142 million to a consortium led by Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate. That same year, private equity firm Thoma Bravo acquired Compuware for around $2.5 billion, taking it private. Post-acquisition, Compuware concentrated on revitalizing its mainframe software portfolio to fuel growth.

In March 2020, BMC Software purchased Compuware for $2 billion. This transaction incorporated Compuware’s solutions into BMC’s lineup under the BMC Automated Mainframe Intelligence (BMC AMI) brand. In 2022, BMC announced relocating its Detroit office from One Campus Martius to Southfield Town Center in the Detroit metropolitan area as part of ongoing global organizational adjustments.

Integrations and Partnerships

Since becoming private in 2014 and later integrating with BMC, Compuware (now BMC Compuware) has established collaborations with prominent technology companies to broaden its product capabilities and market presence. Notable partners include:

Compuware Acquisitions

Following its transition to private ownership in 2014 and subsequent acquisition by BMC in 2020, Compuware enhanced its offerings through targeted acquisitions designed to bolster its mainframe and DevOps solutions:

ISPW (January 2016) – source code management for mainframes
Itgrations (October 2016) – integration tools for mainframe DevOps
Standardware (December 2016) – testing software for mainframes
MVS Solutions (January 2017) – automation and testing for mainframe systems
XATester (July 2018) – automated testing platforms
INNOVATION Data Processing (January 2020) – services focused on mainframe software

These strategic acquisitions strengthened Compuware’s position within the enterprise software sector, supporting expansion and enhancing its global footprint.