Thoma Bravo is exploring a potential Dynatrace IPO (initial public offering) or company sale that would value the IT management software business at roughly $4 billion, according to Bloomberg.Related: Dynatrace IPO Prospectus -- 10 Things for Partners, Investors to KnowThe potential Dynatrace sale or IPO has important implications across multiple markets -- including private equity, IT management software, application performance management (APM), and artificial intelligence operations, Managed IT service providers (MSPs) should be watching closely, too.Thoma Bravo acquired Dynatrace, formally known as the Compuware APM group in 2014. At the time, Dynatrace was best known for its APM technology -- competing against fast-growing upstarts like AppDynamics (since acquired by Cisco Systems) and New Relic (IPOed in December 2014). More recent rivals include Datadog (still privately held).Thoma Bravo also owns ConnectWise, Continuum and a piece of SolarWinds (which returned to public markets in 2018). Also, Continuum is reportedly up for sale again. Rival private equity firm Vista Equity Partners owns Datto, LogicMonitor, and other MSP-friendly technology companies. Insight Venture Partners owns Kaseya and many other tech firms. Thoma Bravo has raised roughly $12.8 billion for more enterprise software acquisitions, and Vista Equity is raising $16 billion for more acquisitions. Roll all that together, and a lot of MSP-friendly technology companies could be acquired, sold or rolled together in the months ahead. In addition to potential IPOs, watch for companies such as KRR (owner of BMC and Cherwell Software) to potentially be a buyer.Also, publicly held Broadcom acquired CA Technologies in 2018 -- and an enterprise-class IT management acquisition could be a nice add-on.
Private equity, APM, Enterprise, IT management, Content
Dynatrace IPO: IT Management Software, Private Equity Implications

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