SUSE sold to EQT for $2.35 billion -- enterprise Linux

EQT, a major international investment firm, has acquired SUSE from Micro Focus for US$2.535 billion.

SUSE, which is based in Nuremberg, Germany, is a leading provider of enterprise-grade, open source Linux solutions. The company was founded in 1992. It was acquired by Novell in 2003. Subsequently, Novell was acquired by The Attachmate Group, which later merged with UK-based Micro Focus.  SUSE is an acronym standing for Software- und System-Entwicklung.

SUSE CEO Nils Brauckmann says the company will move to the next stage of its corporate evolution and operate globally as an independent company. SUSE expects staffing, customer relationships, partnerships, product and service offering, commitment to open source leadership and support for the key open source communities to remain unchanged.

“Today is an exciting day in SUSE’s history. By partnering with EQT, we will become a fully independent business,” said Nils Brauckmann, SUSE CEO. “The next chapter in SUSE’s development will continue, and even accelerate the momentum generated over recent years. Together with EQT we will benefit both from further investment opportunities and having the continuity of a leadership team focused on securing long-term profitable growth combined with a sharp focus on customer and partner success. The current leadership team has managed SUSE through a period of significant growth, and now, with continued investment in technology innovation and go to market capability, will further develop SUSE’s momentum going forward.”