Avocent To Acquire LANDesk For $416 Million

Avocent announced Thursday that it is acquiring LANDesk Group, a provider of centralized management software used to protect IT assets. The transaction calls for Avocent to pay about $416 million in stock, cash, and assumed options.

LANDesk was spun out of Intel in September, 2002, and operates primarily in the enterprise desktop administration market. Coupled with its acquisition of Cyclades earlier this year, Avocent said it is beefing up its "always-on management solutions" for IT managers.

"The combination of Avocent's hardware expertise and LANDesk's software services will also enable us to deliver solutions in an appliance and software platform that will provide customers with solutions that are easier to deploy and maintain," said John Cooper, Avocent chairman and chief executive officer, in a statement.

Avocent, which markets its IT infrastructure primarily to enterprise data centers and small and medium sized businesses, noted that LANDesk's product line fits neatly into Avocent's solutions. LANDesk's principal offerings are the LANDesk Management Suite and the LANDesk Security Suite.

Cooper said Avocent has had a successful working relationship with LANDesk through its Avocent Alliance Program for software vendors.