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Broadcom Acquires AppNeta Network Performance Monitoring Software

Broadcom has acquired AppNeta, an application and network performance monitoring software company that competes against Cisco Systems, LiveAction, ScienceLogic, SolarWinds, Riverbed and other providers of visibility tools. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This is technology M&A deal number 763 that ChannelE2E has covered so far in 2021. See all technology M&A deals for 2021 and 2020 listed here.

AppNeta was backed by private equity firm Rubicon Technology Partners since late 2017. AppNeta has worked with some MSPs, but Broadcom is mainly touting enterprise IT department engagement opportunities.

Broadcom and AppNeta: Application and Network Visibility Plan

AppNeta will align with Broadcom DX NetOps and unified infrastructure management tools that Broadcom acquired in the CA Technologies deal of 2018. Broadcom's overall goal: Provide enterprises with end-to-end performance visibility for applications and networks.

AppNeta's software has at least four use cases for enterprises:

  1. Cloud and SaaS application performance across Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Oracle NetSuite and more.
  2. End-user experience from remote locations.
  3. Application and network performance across data centers and clouds.
  4. Network support from AppNeta's team.

AppNeta launched an MSP partner program roughly a decade ago, though we don't know how many MSPs actually leverage the tools. During the early years of that program, AppNeta worked with N-able's N-central on an integration between RMM (remote monitoring and management) and APM (application performance management) software.

Far more recently, AppNeta touted a Global Alliances partnership program in February 2021. John Tewfik, director of global alliances, has been leading that charge.

Broadcom and AppNeta: Direct Sales In the Enterprise?

Still, the Broadcom-AppNeta deal appears focused mostly on serving "IT teams at the world's largest enterprises." And in a blog about the deal AppNeta CEO Matt Stevens focused mostly on end-customers, employees and private equity firms. I don't think he mentioned channel partners.

In a prepared statement about the deal, Matt Stevens said:

"At AppNeta, we have always invested in scale -- whether that be enabling you to support hundreds of offices, tens of thousands of remote users, or make sense of millions of unique performance metrics every day. Now, by combining our unique technology with Broadcom's unmatched infrastructure and AIOps expertise, IT leaders can feel empowered to embrace cloud transformation knowing that they have complete visibility from a single platform."

Concluded Serge Lucio, vice president and general manager, Enterprise Software Division, Broadcom:

"We are excited about the new Digital Experience Management (DEM) capabilities AppNeta will add to our DX NetOps network monitoring solutions. Hybrid cloud deployments, work from home and prevalence of SaaS-based applications have made enterprises incredibly reliant on the Internet to deliver business- critical applications to employees and customers. Visibility and control for most performance management teams ends at corporate network boundaries. With AppNeta, DX NetOps solutions by Broadcom Software have visibility into Internet connections and can monitor and manage digital experiences for any user across any cloud, mobile, SaaS or remote work scenario."

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.