Private equity firm Thoma Bravo has acquired a stake in financial services automation company SMA Technologies -- though percentage ownership details and dollar figures were not disclosed.
This is technology M&A deal number 873 that ChannelE2E has covered so far in 2022. See more than 2,000 technology M&A deals involving MSPs, MSSPs & IT service providers listed here.
SMA Technologies: Workload Automation Software Capabilities
SMA Technologies, founded in 1980, is based in Houston, Texas. The company has 139 employees listed on LinkedIn.
SMA develops OpCon, an Enterprise Workload Automation platform for financial services firms, banks, insurers, credit unions and retailers. The workload automation and orchestration software can "eliminate manual tasks and manage workloads across business-critical operations." The software works with numerous third-party cloud, virtualization, database management, ERP, identity management, IT service management (ITSM) and operating system platforms.
Aside from software, SMA also offers automation consulting and managed automation services.
We don't know if SMA somehow plans to compete against ServiceNow's workflow automation or third-party Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software.
SMA Technologies' previous majority investor, ParkerGale Capital, will retain a minority stake in the software business, the parties said. When ParkerGale acquired the SMA stake in September 2020, the software company had 600 customers across 27 countries and territories. Fast forward to October 2022, and ChannelE2E doesn't know know if that installed base has changed significantly
The Thoma Bravo investment is "expected to enable SMA to significantly expand its offering of automation solutions for its clients while accelerating growth geographically and into tangential industries over time," the private equity firm said.
Thoma Bravo Invests In SMA Technologies: Executive Perspectives
In a prepared statement about the Thoma Bravo-SMA deal, SMA CEO Todd Dauchy said:
"SMA has been a pioneer in the workload automation space for over four decades and we are thrilled to continue our journey with Thoma Bravo. With Thoma Bravo's operational expertise and financial resources, we will be better positioned to drive global growth while continuing to provide our clients and their employees with seamless solutions to automate processes, applications and workflows."
Added Adam Solomon, a partner at Thoma Bravo:
"As the increasingly digital workplace multiplies IT workloads, SMA is mission-critical to helping enterprises smoothly manage today's complex IT environment. Todd and the SMA team have built exceptional trust by consistently delivering products and solutions that meet clients' ever-changing business needs and priorities. We are excited to partner with a company that values innovation and operational excellence as well as strong relationships with its clients."
Concluded Kristina Heinze, a partner and co-founder at ParkerGale:
"Throughout its growth, SMA has remained a product-oriented and employee-driven software business with a laser focus on the client experience. We are proud of what we accomplished throughout our majority ownership with Todd Dauchy and the SMA team and look forward to continuing to support the company in partnership with Thoma Bravo."
Thoma Bravo: Business and Technology Automation Expertise
Thoma Bravo has extensive experience in the IT automation software market.
For instance, Thoma Bravo also owns stakes in information management software provider Hyland Software, and intelligent process automation provider Nintex. Those software companies, in turn, made RPA (robotic process automation) and DPA (digital process automation) acquisitions in 2020.
- The first deal involved Hyland buying Another Monday
- The second deal involved Nintex buying K2 Software Inc.
Thoma Bravo also owns ConnectWise, which develops IT management and business automation software for MSPs in the SMB market. Thoma also owns a minority stake in N-able, another MSP-focused software provider.
