If you are a Linux geek, you must be heard of Enterprise SUSE project, and even you may be used openSUSE. The oldest open source company and believe to be the first enterprise-grade Linux software service provider SUSE has again gone through a liquidation. And its sold for 2.5 billion, comfortable for all.
From Hand to Hand
British firm Micro Focus International is the current owner of this oldest service provider, has been sold to a Swedish private equity firm EQT Partners. But the fact is the Enterprise SUSE project was sold before. For newbies, you may be wondering why so much change? It is because it is the oldest brand in the open source world and successful revenue machine.
SUSE started its journey at 1992 and went under the bid for the first time in 2003, US-based company Novell bought it for 120 million to get Microsoft’s OS market. Did Not work sell and SUSE again sold to another US based company The Attachmate Group purchased the SUSE for 2.2 billion at 2011. And last current owner Micro Focus International acquired the Enterprise SUSE project for 2.35 billion at 2014. And finally here again SUSE is sold for 2.5 billion dollars to the Swedish company EQT partners.
What’s New!
While SUSAN was a part of Micro, it was just a semi-subdivision to compete with Red Hat and Ubuntu market. But newest owner goes free to SUSAN. Why they shouldn’t, till now SUSAN project had 1400 employees around the world and made 320 million in the last October 2017. But SUSE team is excited to have this new liquidation again. They are going to be a full division under Swedish EQT Partners group.
Johannes Reichel from EQT said about the deal:
“Investment into engineers was somewhat restricted under prior ownership. That will change. Against the backdrop of increasing trade conflicts, corporate customers appreciate an infrastructure software supplier with European origins.”
SUSE team believes, after this shifting, they will have proper access and power to work with Linux OS and upcoming new product groups.
SUSE CEO Nils Brauckmann wrote in the blog post –
“Today is an exciting day in SUSE’s history. By partnering with EQT, we will become a fully independent business. The next chapter in SUSE’s development will continue, and even accelerate the momentum generated over recent years,”
What about OpenSUSE
I was worried too about the adjustments. As an openSUSE project user, I was wondering what we will have? Yes, we are free to use openSUSE! SUSE’s free Linux OS distro openSUSE will be remaining free under the SUSE’s flagship SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES).
Chairman of openSUSE, Richard Brown, has stated that SUSE acquisition deal –
“will have no negative impacts on openSUSE,” adding that SUSE remains firmly “committed to supporting the openSUSE community, which is expected to continue under their new partnership with EQT.”
This deal sounds really great for SUSE family. New management with new power with billion dollar cash, as a SUSE lover we will have Christmas party soon.
