The Attachmate Group
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | June 1, 2005 |
| Defunct | November 3, 2014 |
| Fate | Acquired by Micro Focus International |
| Successor | Micro Focus International |
| Headquarters | Houston , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Software (including Attachmate, NetIQ, Novell, SUSE) |
| Owner | Wizard Parent LLC (including Elliott Management Corporation, Francisco Partners, Golden Gate Capital, Thoma Bravo) |
| Parent | Wizard Parent LLC (before acquisition) |
The Attachmate Group, Inc. operated as a privately owned software holding enterprise headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States. Its principal subsidiaries comprised Attachmate, NetIQ, Novell, and SUSE.
Ownership of Attachmate was held by Wizard Parent LLC, a consortium of investment firms including Elliott Management Corporation, Francisco Partners, Golden Gate Capital, and Thoma Bravo.
WRQ Origins and Company Formation
Walker, Richer & Quinn (WRQ) was established in 1981 by Doug Walker, Mike Richer, and Marty Quinn with the objective of connecting microcomputers to existing IT infrastructures, initially focusing on the Hewlett-Packard sector by developing the first commercially successful terminal emulator compatible with the HP 3000. WRQ later divested its subsidiaries Express Metrix and NetMotion Wireless in 2000 and 2001 respectively.
Following acquisitions of both WRQ, Inc. and Attachmate Corporation — longstanding rivals in host emulation — private equity investors consolidated the two entities. This merger was completed on June 1, 2005, resulting in the formation of AttachmateWRQ.
NetIQ
Founded in 1995 by Ching-Fa Hwang, Her-daw Che, Hon Wong, Ken Prayoon Cheng, and Thomas R. Kemp, NetIQ focused on delivering solutions for systems management and security management, offering products such as AppManager and Security Manager.
AttachmateWRQ declared the acquisition of NetIQ on April 27, 2006; the transaction was finalized by July 5, 2006. Post-acquisition, the combined organization operated under the name Attachmate Corporation.
OnDemand Acquisition
In 2006, AttachmateWRQ purchased OnDemand Software, known for its WinINSTALL product which paralleled AttachmateWRQ’s own NetWizard. The WinINSTALL segment was later sold to Scalable Software in 2008.
Wollongong Acquisition
Attachmate also expanded by acquiring The Wollongong Group, recognized for its Pathway TCP and Emissary products.
Novell Acquisition
The year 2011 marked Attachmate’s acquisition of Novell, Inc., an event accompanied by considerable workforce reductions. The parent company was subsequently renamed The Attachmate Group. Within this group, Novell functioned as two distinct business units under its own brand and that of SUSE, alongside Attachmate and NetIQ divisions. Certain intellectual property assets were slated for transfer to CPTN Holdings, a consortium led by Microsoft.
Micro Focus Acquisition
On September 15, 2014, British corporation Micro Focus International revealed plans to acquire The Attachmate Group through a $1.2 billion share transaction. The acquisition concluded on November 3, 2014, with Wizard Parent LLC estimated to retain approximately a 40% ownership stake in Micro Focus following the deal.
By April 2015, Micro Focus had fully integrated Attachmate’s businesses into its structure, incorporating NetIQ and Novell’s offerings into its product lineup. In 2019, SUSE was divested to EQT AB.
Further reading
- Attachmate completes Novell acquisition, CNET, April 28, 2011
- Attachmate to revitalize Novell brand, The Australian, November 22, 2011
- Attachmate outlines plans for Novell, SUSE & Linux, ZDNet, April 29, 2011