When Thoma Bravo confirmed the Continuum acquisition today, it triggered a rather intriguing situation in the MSP software market. Indeed, Thoma Bravo also has an ownership stake in SolarWinds MSP (since October 2015).> Related: Read all of our coverage about Thoma Bravo acquiring ContinuumBut don't be confused. Continuum and SolarWinds MSP are not poised to merge. Nor will their businesses somehow converge or overlap in the halls of Thoma Bravo. After all, they're owned in separate Thoma Bravo funds. Moreover, Silver Lake Partners also owns a stake in SolarWinds MSP.Continuum CEO Michael George
Bottom line: Continuum and SolarWinds MSP remain competitors, Continuum CEO Michael George tells ChannelE2E. We haven't had a chance to ping SolarWinds CEO Kevin Thompson (pictured above) for his view. But we suspect it parallels George's thoughts.
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.
Reuters reports that interest in acquiring U.S.-Japanese cybersecurity firm Trend Micro, which counts Microsoft, McAfee, CrowdStrike, and Palo Alto Networks as its competitors, has escalated among private equity firms in recent weeks.