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AVG Technologies Acquires LPI in Another RMM Shakeup

• By Gladys Rama
• June 12, 2013

Internet and mobile security provider AVG Technologies on Wednesday announced it is acquiring remote monitoring and management (RMM) company LPI Level Platforms for an undisclosed amount.

The AVG-LPI deal is the second major acquisition in the RMM space in as many months. Enterprise IT management vendor SolarWinds purchased RMM vendor N-Able Technologies in late May for $120 million.

LPI's flagship RMM offering is the cloud-based Managed Workplace product, aimed at MSPs. The Ottawa, Canada-based LPI describes Managed Workplace as an agentless hybrid platform that monitors an MSP's entire local and cloud IT infrastructure, including mobile devices. Managed Workplace is in use by thousands of MSPs globally, according to LPI.

With the acquisition, Czech Republic-based AVG plans to incorporate LPI's Managed Workplace technology into its own CloudCare product. CloudCare is a free cloud-based service targeted at MSPs and small business resellers that lets users manage the security of a network remotely. Though the platform is free, AVG also offers pay-as-you CloudCare services.

"Since founding the company our mission has been to establish LPI Level Platforms as the ubiquitous remote monitoring, management and automation platform for IT service providers around the world," said LPI CEO Peter Sandiford in a prepared statement. "By adding LPI Level Platforms software to the AVG portfolio, AVG will be in a position to deliver the most comprehensive, innovative, high-quality and high-performance platform for SMBs and their MSPs in the market."

Roughly 1,000 of AVG's 10,000 partners resell CloudCare, the company said. AVG expects the addition of LPI's 1,500 MSP partners to expand the cross-selling opportunities for both companies' channels.

"LPI Level Platforms' cloud-based and Software-as-a-Service (SAAS) recurring revenue stream is a natural complement to the AVG SMB CloudCare model. LPI Level Platforms and AVG share the same 'go to market' approach in the rapidly growing cloud-based services SMB segment," AVG said in its press release announcing the acquisition. "The combination of LPI Level Platforms' cloud-based RMM/MDM portfolio strengthens AVG's AntiVirus, content filtering, back-up and optimization portfolio, creating a best of breed platform to address small businesses' real needs today and tomorrow."

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but in an interview with VentureBeat, AVG COO John Giamatteo said the deal is expected to close by the end of June. The 100-person LPI office in Ottawa, Canada will be incorporated into AVG, VentureBeat reported Giamatteo as saying, though he did not indicate whether there will be layoffs.