# Opsware

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Software company

Opsware, Inc. Type Now owned by OpenText Founded September, 1999 (as Loudcloud, Inc.) Founder Ben Horowitz Marc Andreessen Tim Howes Headquarters Sunnyvale, California Key people Marc Andreessen: Chairman and founder,[1] Ben Horowitz: CEO and founder,[1] Tim Howes: CTO and founder,[1] In Sik Rhee: COO and founder,[1] John O'Farrell: EVP Products Cloud and automation and IT service management software Parent Hewlett-Packard Website Micro Focus web page

**Opsware, Inc.** was a software company based in [Sunnyvale, California](/source/Sunnyvale%2C_California), that offered products for server and network device [provisioning](/source/Provisioning_(IT)), [configuration](/source/Configuration_management), and [management](/source/Systems_management) targeted toward enterprise customers. Opsware had offices in [New York City](/source/New_York_City), [Redmond, Washington](/source/Redmond%2C_Washington), [Cary, North Carolina](/source/Cary%2C_North_Carolina), and an engineering office in [Cluj, Romania](/source/Cluj%2C_Romania).

In July 2007, [HP](/source/Hewlett-Packard) announced that it had agreed to acquire Opsware for $1.65 billion in cash ($14.25 per share). The acquisition closed on September 21, 2007.[2]

HP subsequently split into [HP Inc.](/source/HP_Inc.) and [Hewlett Packard Enterprise](/source/Hewlett_Packard_Enterprise) (HPE). The latter included Opsware's products and services and, in 2017, the HPE Software business group spin-merged with [Micro Focus](/source/Micro_Focus). Micro Focus was acquired by [OpenText](/source/OpenText) in 2023.

## History

The company that was formerly known as Loudcloud was founded on September 9, 1999 (i.e., 9/9/99) by [Marc Andreessen](/source/Marc_Andreessen), [Ben Horowitz](/source/Ben_Horowitz), [Tim Howes](/source/Tim_Howes), and In Sik Rhee as a managed [services provider](/source/Service_provider).[3] The company was one of the first to offer [software as a service](/source/Software_as_a_service) computing with an Infrastructure as a Service model.[4] According to *[Wired](/source/Wired_(magazine))*, Loudcloud was one of the first vendors to talk about [cloud computing](/source/Cloud_computing) and Software as a Service.[5]

In June 2000, Loudcloud raised $120 million, in what was at the time the largest second round of funding.[6] This was shortly followed by a $100 million raise by one of its competitors, [Totality Corporation](/source/Totality_Corporation) (at the time known as MimEcom).[7]

After selling the operations side of the business to [EDS](/source/Electronic_Data_Systems) in the summer of 2002, Loudcloud became Opsware and went to market as a technology company, offering the software that had been developed internally to support customer systems via automated server life-cycle management. In 2004, Opsware acquired [asset management](/source/Enterprise_Asset_Management) systems provider Tangram Enterprise Solutions,[8] and in February 2005 acquired network device configuration management vendor Rendition Networks.[9] In July 2006 Opsware acquired CreekPath for its Data Center Automation (DCA) product offering to add provisioning of storage components.[10] In April 2007 Opsware acquired Seattle-based iConclude and its run-book automation software in order to integrate datacenter management from end-to-end.[11]

In July 2007, [HP](/source/Hewlett-Packard) announced that it had agreed to acquire Opsware for $1.65 billion in cash ($14.25 per share), sixteen times revenues. It was HP's third largest acquisition at the time behind [Compaq](/source/Compaq) and [Mercury Interactive](/source/Mercury_Interactive).[12] HP marketed Opsware products and [software as a service](/source/Software_as_a_service) solutions as part of the [HP Software Business Unit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HP_Software_Business_Unit&action=edit&redlink=1).[13]

In 2015, HP's Software business unit was spun off to become part of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. Two years later in 2017, HP Software merged with UK-based Micro Focus in a spin-merge. In 2023, OpenText acquired Micro Focus. All former Opsware tools are now grouped under the OpenText Hybrid Cloud Management suite.

## Products

Opsware had three main systems that it marketed. The Server Automation System (SAS) was designed to provide provisioning, policy enforcement, compliance reporting, and [patching](/source/Patch_(computing)) of [Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows), [Unix](/source/Unix) and [Linux](/source/Linux) servers across thousands of servers. It is now sold as HP Server Automation software.[14] The Network Automation System (NAS) was designed to provide network device provisioning, policy enforcement, security lock-down, software management, and compliance reporting across thousands of devices from over 500 variants of device vendors, models, and OS versions. This product was also [OEM'd](/source/OEM) by [Cisco Systems](/source/Cisco_Systems) and was called the Cisco "Network Compliance Manager" (NCM). It is now sold as HP Network Automation software.[15] The third system marketed by Opsware was the Process Automation System (PAS), designed to provide run-book automation from former partner iConclude (who was acquired in March 2007). It is now sold as HP Operations Orchestration software.[16]

## Customers

Opsware customers included its now parent [HP](/source/Hewlett-Packard), [GE](/source/General_Electric), [EDS](/source/Electronic_Data_Systems) (whose acquisition was completed by HP August 26, 2008,[17] and is now called [HP Enterprise Services](/source/HP_Enterprise_Services)[18]), the [Federal government of the United States](/source/Federal_government_of_the_United_States) and numerous [Fortune 500](/source/Fortune_500) companies who used the software to automate their IT infrastructure.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Sheff2000-08_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Sheff2000-08_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Sheff2000-08_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Sheff2000-08_1-3) David Sheff (August 2000). ["Crank it up"](https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.08/loudcloud_pr.html). [Wired Magazine](/source/Wired_Magazine).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [HP Closes Opsware Acquisition news release](http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2007/070921xa.html?jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["The Case for the Fat Start-Up." Wall St. Journal's All Things Digital: 3/17, Ben Horowitz.](http://voices.allthingsd.com/20100317/the-case-for-the-fat-startup/)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Computeractive.co.uk](https://archive.today/20120905093425/http://www.computeractive.co.uk/vnunet/analysis/2131608/andreessen-goes-public-plans-loudcloud?vnu_lt=ca_art_related_articles)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Wired Magazine. "Crank it up". David Sheff. 2000-08](https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.08/loudcloud_pr.html)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Braunschweig, Carolina (July 3, 2000). "VCs Rain $120M Down on Loudcloud". *Private Equity Week*: 3.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [San Francisco Business Times. "Net startup MimEcom.com bags $100M" Todd Stein. 2000-07-30](http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2000/07/31/story2.html?page=all)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Business Wire. Opsware Inc. Completes Acquisition of Tangram Enterprise Solutions; Integration of Products Furthers Opsware's Lead in Automation and Utility Computing](http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_Feb_23/ai_113529220/?tag=rel.res1/)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [Business Wire. Opsware Completes Rendition Acquisition, Furthering Leadership in Rapidly Growing IT Automation Market. Retrieved 2010-02-27.](http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/4993865-1.html/)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [Business Wire. Opsware Completes Acquisition of Creekpath Systems; Acquisition Provides Foundation Technology. Retrieved 2010-02-27.](http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/5345311-1.html/)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** [Northwest Innovation. iConclude Acquisition Completes. Retrieved 2010-02-27.](http://www.nwinnovation.com/story/s-0008833.html)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [China Martens, IDG News Service. HP Buying Opsware in $1.65 Billion Deal. PC World](https://www.pcworld.com/article/134946/hp_buying_opsware_in_16_billion_deal.html/)[*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** [HP Data Center Automation Center product pages](https://h10078.www1.hp.com/cda/hpms/display/main/hpms_content.jsp?zn=bto&cp=1-11-271-273_4000_100__/)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** [HP Website product pages](https://h10078.www1.hp.com/cda/hpms/display/main/hpms_content.jsp?zn=bto&cp=1-11-271-273^14711_4000_100__/)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** [HP Product Web page](https://h10078.www1.hp.com/cda/hpms/display/main/hpms_content.jsp?zn=bto&cp=1-11-271-273^14681_4000_100__/)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** [HP Product Web pages](https://archive.today/20121217145748/https://h10078.www1.hp.com/cda/hpms/display/main/hpms_content.jsp?zn=bto&cp=1-11-271-273%5E14694_4000_100__&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN/)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** [Stacey Higginbotham. GigaOM. HP Completes EDS Buy, Heads for the Clouds](https://web.archive.org/web/20080827124723/http://gigaom.com/2008/08/26/hp-completes-eds-buy-heads-for-the-clouds/)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** [News Release. EDS, an HP Company, Becoming HP Enterprise Services](http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2008/080826xa.html?jumpid=reg_R1002_USENHP)

[1]

- Lawton, Christopher and Kingsbury, Kevin. ["H-P Makes Move Into Data Centers"](https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118519245607574873), *The Wall Street Journal*, July 23, 2007. Accessed July 23, 2007.

## External links

- [Companies portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Companies)

- [HP IT Management Web site](https://web.archive.org/web/20110202204710/https://h10078.www1.hp.com/cda/hpms/display/main/hpms_content.jsp?zn=bto&cp=1-11-271-273_4000_100__)

- [HP Software as a Service Web site](https://archive.today/20121217151642/https://h10078.www1.hp.com/cda/hpms/display/main/hpms_content.jsp?zn=bto&cp=1-23%5E24428_4000_100__&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN__)

v t e OpenText Founders Tim Bray Gaston Gonnet Frank Tompa Products ArcSight GroupWise IDOL LoadRunner NetIQ eDirectory opentext.ai OpenText ALM OpenText Business Network OpenText Content Suite OpenText Data Protector OpenText Quality Center OpenText SiteScope Together Open Enterprise Server Silk Central Silk Performer Silk Test StarTeam UFT One Vertica ZENworks Acquisitions Autonomy Corporation Carbonite, Inc. Webroot Cordys Covisint Guidance Software GXS Inc. Harbinger Corporation Hummingbird Ltd. Micro Focus The Attachmate Group Attachmate Borland Fortify Software HP IT Management Software Mercury Interactive NetIQ Novell Unix System Laboratories Peregrine Systems PlateSpin Opsware Serena Software Vignette Corporation

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["Micro Focus Completes Merger with HPE Software Business, Creating One of World's Largest Pure-play Software Companies | Micro Focus"](https://www.microfocus.com/about/press-room/article/2017/micro-focus-completes-merger-with-hpe-software/). *www.microfocus.com*. Retrieved December 20, 2017.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Opsware](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opsware) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opsware?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.