
SolarWinds To ‘Blaze The Trail?’
SolarWinds is mulling plans to spin off SolarWinds MSP into its own publicly traded company, which could test whether there is an appetite on Wall Street to invest in the tools that MSPs use.
SolarWinds CEO Kevin Thompson said he’s been fighting for MSP recognition since he started at Austin, Texas-based SolarWinds seven years ago.
“I’ve been the evangelist for the MSP market since 2013—the one lone voice on Wall Street trying to convince people why this is a great market that they should love and care about,” Thompson said. “So if this potential transaction goes through, we end up with a public company that is really focused on that MSP market. And then if any of the other players in the market eventually get into the public markets, I think we’re going to blaze the trail that hopefully others can follow. I think it’s good for the market if the companies that serve that market have capital.”
Here are eight things you need to know about the possible spin-off, which Thompson detailed on a call with investors following its earnings report on Aug. 6.