The Attachmate Group

The Attachmate Group, Inc. was a privately held software holding company headquartered in Houston, Texas. It assembled a portfolio of established enterprise-software businesses rather than operating primarily as a single consumer-facing product brand. Its principal holdings were Attachmate, NetIQ, Novell, and SUSE, whose products covered host access and terminal emulation, systems and security management, enterprise infrastructure, identity and collaboration software, and Linux and open-source platforms. The group’s roots lay in the 2005 combination of Attachmate Corporation and Walker, Richer & Quinn, commonly known as WRQ. The two companies had long competed in host-emulation software. Their merger closed on June 1, 2005, and the combined business initially operated as AttachmateWRQ. WRQ had been founded in 1981 by Doug Walker, Mike Richer, and Marty Quinn to connect microcomputers with established information-technology environments. One of its early commercial successes was a terminal emulator for Hewlett-Packard’s HP 3000 systems. Attachmate contributed a complementary portfolio focused on access to host and legacy systems. AttachmateWRQ expanded beyond host connectivity in 2006. It agreed to acquire NetIQ, a company founded in 1995 whose products included AppManager and Security Manager. The transaction closed in July 2006, after which the combined company operated under the Attachmate name. AttachmateWRQ also acquired OnDemand Software in 2006, gaining the WinINSTALL business. The WinINSTALL business was later sold to Scalable Software in 2008. The company additionally acquired The Wollongong Group, associated with Pathway TCP and Emissary networking products. The most consequential expansion came in 2011, when Attachmate acquired Novell. Following the transaction, Novell and SUSE were maintained as separate business units and brands alongside Attachmate and NetIQ. This structure gave the group a much broader enterprise-software portfolio, including Novell’s infrastructure and collaboration technologies and SUSE’s Linux and open-source enterprise offerings. The acquisition also involved plans to sell certain Novell intellectual-property assets to CPTN Holdings, a consortium led by Microsoft. The integration was accompanied by substantial workforce reductions at Novell. The Attachmate Group remained privately controlled by Wizard Parent LLC, an investment vehicle associated with Elliott Management Corporation, Francisco Partners, Golden Gate Capital, and Thoma Bravo. On September 15, 2014, Micro Focus International announced an agreement to acquire the group in an all-share transaction valued at approximately US$1.2 billion. The merger was completed in November 2014. Micro Focus subsequently integrated the acquired businesses into a single organization; by April 2015 it announced that NetIQ and Novell products had become part of the Micro Focus portfolio. The Attachmate Group therefore ceased to exist as an independent holding company, although several of its brands and product lines continued under Micro Focus. SUSE was later separated from Micro Focus and sold to EQT in 2019.

The Attachmate Group developed through a sequence of acquisitions that transformed a host-emulation software business into a diversified enterprise-technology holding company. Its immediate foundation was the merger of Attachmate Corporation and Walker, Richer & Quinn, or WRQ, completed on June 1, 2005. WRQ had been established in 1981 by Doug Walker, Mike Richer, and Marty Quinn to help integrate microcomputers with existing corporate information-technology environments. The company targeted Hewlett-Packard systems and produced an early commercially viable terminal emulator for the HP 3000. Attachmate was a longstanding competitor in the same host-access market. The merged company was initially named AttachmateWRQ. In 2006, AttachmateWRQ broadened its scope through several transactions. It acquired OnDemand Software, whose WinINSTALL product complemented AttachmateWRQ’s existing NetWizard offering. The company also agreed to acquire NetIQ in April 2006, completing the transaction in July. NetIQ brought systems-management and security-management capabilities, including AppManager and Security Manager, and the combined business adopted the Attachmate name. The group later acquired The Wollongong Group, known for Pathway TCP and Emissary products. The WinINSTALL business did not remain permanently within the group: Scalable Software acquired that business unit and substantially all of the former OnDemand assets in 2008. The acquisition of Novell in 2011 marked a major change in scale and strategic scope. Novell was divided operationally into Novell and SUSE business units, while Attachmate, NetIQ, Novell, and SUSE became the principal holdings associated with The Attachmate Group. This portfolio spanned legacy application access, systems and security management, enterprise infrastructure, collaboration, networking, Linux, and open-source software. The Novell transaction also drew attention to workforce changes, with hundreds of Novell employees reportedly released, and to a proposed transfer of certain intellectual-property assets to CPTN Holdings, a consortium led by Microsoft. The holding company was controlled through Wizard Parent LLC, an investment group associated with Elliott Management Corporation, Francisco Partners, Golden Gate Capital, and Thoma Bravo. Its ownership model reflected a private-equity strategy of consolidating established enterprise-software assets and operating their brands as complementary businesses. On September 15, 2014, Micro Focus International announced that it would acquire The Attachmate Group through a share-based transaction valued at approximately US$1.2 billion. The transaction was completed in November 2014. Micro Focus then reorganized the acquired operations, and in April 2015 announced that the integration of the Attachmate Group companies had been completed. NetIQ and Novell products became part of the Micro Focus portfolio, while the Attachmate Group ceased to operate as a separate holding company. SUSE remained associated with the acquired portfolio until Micro Focus sold it to EQT in 2019. The group’s historical significance therefore lies less in a single enduring consumer brand than in its role as a consolidation platform for mature enterprise-software companies.

1. 2019SUSE sold to EQT

   SUSE was later sold by Micro Focus to EQT, separating it from the former Attachmate portfolio.

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2. 2015Integration completed

   Micro Focus announced completion of the integration of the acquired Attachmate Group companies.

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3. 2014Micro Focus merger announced

   Micro Focus announced an agreement to acquire The Attachmate Group in a share transaction valued at approximately US$1.2 billion.

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4. 2014Merger completed

   Micro Focus completed its merger with The Attachmate Group in November 2014.

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5. 2011Novell acquired

   Attachmate acquired Novell, after which Novell and SUSE operated as separate business units within the group.

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6. 2008WinINSTALL business sold

   Scalable Software acquired the WinINSTALL business unit and substantially all assets of the former OnDemand business.

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7. 2006NetIQ acquisition closes

   AttachmateWRQ completed its acquisition of NetIQ and subsequently operated under the Attachmate name.

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8. 2006OnDemand Software acquired

   The company acquired OnDemand Software and its WinINSTALL business.

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9. 2005Attachmate and WRQ merge

   Attachmate Corporation and WRQ completed their merger and initially operated under the AttachmateWRQ name.

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10. 1981WRQ is founded

    Doug Walker, Mike Richer, and Marty Quinn founded Walker, Richer & Quinn to connect microcomputers with established information-technology environments.

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A private-equity-backed enterprise-software holding company focused on acquiring, combining, and operating mature infrastructure, systems-management, security, host-access, and Linux software businesses.

• Attachmate host-access softwareHost access and terminal emulation

  Attachmate’s core business centered on software that enabled users and organizations to access host and legacy systems from modern computing environments. The product family represented the company’s historical base and complemented WRQ’s terminal-emulation technologies after the 2005 merger.

• NetIQ AppManagerSystems management

  AppManager was one of NetIQ’s principal systems-management products. Its inclusion in the Attachmate portfolio broadened the group beyond host connectivity into monitoring and management of enterprise information-technology environments.

• NetIQ Security ManagerSecurity management

  Security Manager was a NetIQ security-management offering and part of the product portfolio obtained through AttachmateWRQ’s 2006 acquisition of NetIQ. It helped establish security management as a distinct component of the group’s enterprise-software portfolio.

• WinINSTALLSoftware deployment and administration

  WinINSTALL was associated with OnDemand Software, acquired by AttachmateWRQ in 2006. The product complemented AttachmateWRQ’s NetWizard offering but was subsequently divested when Scalable Software acquired the WinINSTALL business unit in 2008.

• Novell enterprise softwareEnterprise infrastructure and collaboration

  Novell contributed enterprise infrastructure, networking, identity, collaboration, and related software capabilities after its 2011 acquisition. Novell products continued as part of the broader Micro Focus portfolio following the 2014 merger.

• SUSE enterprise LinuxLinux and open-source enterprise software

  SUSE supplied enterprise Linux and related open-source technologies within the Attachmate Group. It operated as a separate brand and business unit after the Novell acquisition and was later sold by Micro Focus to EQT in 2019.

• 2014Sell the group to Micro FocusM&A

  The private-equity-owned group sought a transaction that would combine its enterprise-software portfolio with Micro Focus.

  What changed. Micro Focus agreed to acquire The Attachmate Group in an all-share transaction and completed the merger in November 2014.

  Aftermath. The Attachmate Group ceased to exist as an independent holding company. Micro Focus integrated the businesses and placed NetIQ and Novell products in its portfolio.

  Transaction value. Approximately US$1.2 billion (Announced September 15, 2014)

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• 2011Acquire NovellM&A

  Attachmate pursued Novell to expand its portfolio beyond host access and systems management into enterprise infrastructure, collaboration, Linux, and open-source software.

  What changed. Attachmate acquired Novell and retained Novell and SUSE as separate business units and brands.

  Aftermath. The acquisition made Novell and SUSE major holdings of The Attachmate Group, while certain intellectual-property assets were planned for sale to CPTN Holdings.

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• 2005Merge Attachmate with WRQM&A

  Attachmate and WRQ were longstanding competitors in host-emulation software, and their owners sought to combine their complementary businesses.

  What changed. The merger closed on June 1, 2005, creating AttachmateWRQ.

  Aftermath. The combined company became the platform for subsequent acquisitions in systems management, security, infrastructure, and Linux software.

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• 2015Micro Focus completes integration of Attachmate Group businesses

  Micro Focus announced that the businesses acquired from The Attachmate Group had been integrated into a single organization, with NetIQ and Novell products incorporated into its portfolio.

  M&A
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• 2014Micro Focus announces acquisition of The Attachmate Group

  Micro Focus International announced an agreement to acquire The Attachmate Group in an all-share transaction valued at approximately US$1.2 billion.

  M&A
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• 2014Micro Focus completes merger with The Attachmate Group

  Micro Focus announced completion of the merger, ending The Attachmate Group’s existence as an independent corporate group.

  M&A
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• 2011Attachmate completes acquisition of Novell

  Attachmate completed its acquisition of Novell. Novell and SUSE subsequently operated as separate business units within the Attachmate Group, alongside Attachmate and NetIQ.

  M&ALeadership change
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• 2006AttachmateWRQ agrees to acquire NetIQ

  AttachmateWRQ announced an agreement to acquire NetIQ, expanding from host-access software into systems-management and security-management products.

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1. The Attachmate Group