When SolarWinds confirmed plans to acquire LogicNow, the companies said they serve the world's largest footprint of MSPs. Now, for the hard part: Managing people, processes and products across the newly formed SolarWinds MSP business division, which combines the former N-able and LogicNow businesses under one roof.
Several executives involved in the deal have plenty of M&A experience. Key examples include:
- SolarWinds CEO Kevin Thompson, who has overseen multiple acquisitions in recent years -- including the $120 million buyout of N-able in 2013. More recently, Thomson oversaw SolarWinds transition from a public company to private equity ownership.
- SolarWinds MSP Executive VP Walter Scott, formerly CEO of LogicNow. Scott has managed multiple M&A deals over his career.
- SolarWinds N-able GM JP Jauvin. He was president of N-able when SolarWinds acquired the company. The deal has been overwhelmingly successful.
- SolarWinds MSP Managing Director Alistair Forbes is a LogicNow veteran who managed multiple M&A integrations. He's also a veteran of HoundDog technology, which LogicNow acquired in 2009.
SolarWinds Buys LogicNow: Managing M&A Complexity
Still, combining SolarWinds' N-able business with LogicNow is a complex deal that involves MSP software product overlap in some areas. Numerous MSPs checking in with ChannelE2E are concerned that SolarWinds will mismanage or kill certain LogicNow software and cloud platforms. For its part, SolarWinds says it has no plans to sunset any products.
Will the newly formed SolarWinds MSP business division succeed or fail? The answer will likely involve the working relationship between Scott and Jauvin, two successful leaders who have strikingly different -- but equally engaging -- personalities.
Scott can be outspoken at times, though he quietly works in the shadows at many LogicNow events -- preferring to put the spotlight on his executive teams while he quietly scours the market for potential alliance partners. JP Jauvin, in stark contrast, is typically reserved during media briefings -- sticking to key points about SolarWinds' momentum in the MSP market.
Admittedly, I don't know Scott or Jauvin on a personal level. Nor do I know their day-to-day, internal management styles. Under the SolarWinds MSP umbrella, Jauvin reports to Scott, and Scott reports to Thompson. The working relationship between those executives, with input from Forbes as well, will likely determine whether SolarWinds MSP is a big success -- or an M&A deal that misses the mark.
