BMC buys NZ firm

US-based systems management software giant BMC has moved into New Zealand with a 100 per cent purchase of 16-year-old Auckland-based Open Technology (OTL).

The previous OTL owners comprised of seven staff and management of OTL who recently accepted a deal involving a package of cash and BMC shares. Staff all have jobs in the new subsidiary company, BMC New Zealand, and OTL managing director Terry Wellington becomes local managing director. BMC claims to be the fifth largest software vendor in the world, with revenue exceeding $NZ1.3 billion.

Open Technology had a history in Unix and open systems and was originally distributor of the Altos brand. The company has been BMC's sole distributor in New Zealand for the past five years. OTL director Paul Williams claims the company has over 90 percent of the local market for enterprise systems management, with 60 sites using BMC in New Zealand. OTL has built up a 26-strong services division across New Zealand and Australia with total staff of 50. BMC, on the other hand, was strictly a software product company but decided to move into services and solutions in November last year. It has just three services staff in Australia, although it has reached 400 worldwide.

Texas-based BMC vice-president of corporate marketing Wayne Morris says buying a services firm is usually problematic because of different focuses, but says OTL is a natural fit because of its heavy focus on BMC. The company regards OTL as having some of the best system management practitioners in the world.

The local subsidiary will, as OTL did, sell and support other brands of software that can work alongside BMC, such as Veratas, Legato and Accent. "We will continue to sell the other brands both separately and together," said Williams.

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