HP to Acquire Opsware Inc.

HP today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Opsware Inc., a market-leading data center automation software company, through a cash tender offer for $14.25 per share, or an enterprise value (net of existing cash and debt) of approximately $1.6 billion on a fully diluted basis.

Opsware Chief Executive Officer Ben Horowitz said, "We are about to see one of the biggest application and infrastructure build-outs in history. The addition of Opsware to the HP Software portfolio will make HP the obvious choice for powering the next generation of data centers to come."

The acquisition of Opsware is intended to extend HP Software's capabilities to automate the entire data center – from initial provisioning of servers, networks and storage devices to managing ongoing changes and compliance requirements – with integrated process automation, removing the latency inherent in today's IT environments.

Acquisition Positions HP to Become a Leader in High-Growth Data Center Automation Software Market.

About Opsware Inc.

Opsware, a leading data center automation company, unlocks the promise of technology by accelerating IT to zero latency. The company’s software, the Opsware System, automates the entire data center, from provisioning to patching, configuration to compliance and discovery to deployment, turning data center operations into a competitive advantage for business. Opsware’s technology is used by hundreds of companies worldwide including banks, service providers, retailers, manufacturers and Internet companies with IT environments ranging from hundreds to tens of thousands of servers, network devices, storage devices and IT processes. More information on Opsware is available at www.opsware.com.