VMware purchases AirWatch for $1.54 billion
On Wednesday, January 22, VMware, Inc., an American company that provides cloud and virtualization software and services, announced in a press release that it had acquired AirWatch for approximately $1.54 billion.
According to the source, Atlanta-based AirWatch provides mobile device management software — as well as other enterprise solutions — for upwards of 10,000 global customers. The company has nine different offices around the world and a total of about 1,600 employees. As part of the deal, the Atlanta headquarters will likely expand and become the hub of mobile operations for VMware.
Executives from both companies spoke positively about the acquisition in prepared press statements.
"When we started AirWatch, we set out to help businesses succeed in the mobile explosion that was set to come," said Alan Dabbiere, co-founder and chairman of AirWatch. "Now there are more than 2 billion smart phones and tablets in the world and more than half of those devices touch an enterprise. By joining a proven innovator like VMware, we now have an opportunity to bring our leading-edge solutions to an even broader set of customers and partners."
VMware's CEO, Pat Gelsinger, echoed these sentiments, adding that the acquisition of AirWatch will allow customers to "turbo-charge their mobile workforce without compromising security."
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