Barracuda Networks -- parent of Intronis -- apparently is up for sale. The news comes only about four months after Barracuda acquired Intronis, which offers cloud-based backup services to MSPs.At first glance, some Intronis partners might be concerned about Barracuda's potential change of ownership. But here's the thing: There's no guarantee that Barracuda will be acquired. The company apparently has hired Morgan Stanley to solicit offers but no pending deals are on the table, according to Bloomberg. Also, Barracuda has not commented on the Bloomberg report.If you're an Intronis MSP worried about a potential company sale, perhaps you're overreacting. After all, numerous MSP software companies will be up for sale in the coming years. The reason? A lengthy list of MSP-friendly software businesses are private equity owned, and that means those players will likely be sold at some point.Barracuda's Q3 revenues, announced Jan. 7, 2016, grew 14 percent to $80.1 million. And recurring revenue now represents 73 percent of total revenues. Those sound like solid data points that should give partners peace of mind. Still, Wall Street was disappointed by Barracuda's billings -- which caused the company's stock to fall more than 30 percent on the earnings news. Barracuda has only owned Intronis for a few months, but I sense that most of Intronis has functioned in a "business as usual" way -- maintaining a healthy focus on MSP recruitment, support and R&D. I haven't heard about any major slippage in those areas. There's an old saying in business and relationships: If it ain't broke then don't fix it. In the case of Intronis, I sense that the business isn't broken. Generally speaking I think Barracuda management -- regardless of ownership -- will remain loyal to the Intronis MSP base.If that changes or if Intronis somehow stumbles with its MSP efforts, I suspect readers will let me know (I'm all ears...) and we'll do some follow-up coverage. In the meantime, MSPs should keep an eye on Barracuda's potential sale -- if any bidders actually emerge -- but spend far more time focused on end-customers.Remember: IT vendors get acquired and sold all the time. And the pace of M&A will surely accelerate in the years ahead, especially since so many PE owners will eventually seek to exit the MSP software businesses they're currently building.
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Barracuda for Sale: How Should Intronis MSPs React?

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