DevOps – the computer branch of [companythatimplementsbothproductsandbestpracticestobuildtestandrunsoftware-isabouttobevaluedatnearly$13billionby2025Nowastart-upwhobuildsDevOpstoolsannouncesanimportantroundoffinancingtocapitalizeonthisopportunityPuppet(formerlyPuppet Labs, of Portland, Oregon) raised $ 42 million as part of a tour de table with a number of strategic and financial investors.
The company does not easily disclose its valuation – even though we are trying to find out – but according to PitchBook, its last proven valuation was in 2014, when it raised $ 40 million and was valued at $ 652 million. dollars.
But the puppet has more than doubled in the last four years: at the time, it had 18,000 customers, including Google, Twitter, Salesforce and AT & T. Now, he says he has more than 40,000 businesses as customers, "including more than 75% of Fortune 100 companies" using both its open source and commercial products – and it has made several acquisitions (including the earlier Reflect startup) this month).
All of this would imply that the puppet, which has now raised $ 150 million to date, is probably valued at more than $ 700 million, and could well be close to a billion dollars.
"Our rapid growth and international expansion reflect growing demand for DevOps transformation, software automation and the urgent need for companies to navigate the new world of software delivery. That's why we focused on expanding our product portfolio to enable customers to discover, deliver and operate software in their cloud and containerized environments, "said Sanjay Mirchandani, CEO of Puppet, in a statement . "I am delighted with the momentum we are experiencing. This helps us better support our customers' journey towards ubiquitous automation. "
The growth of cloud services and the omnipresence of digitization have led to a wide range of functions in a business under the category of developer-led operations.
In turn, this has resulted in greater demand for better processes to execute these operations and the infrastructure that they affect. The puppet is not the only company in this field: in addition to major players like Cisco and CA Technologies and EMC, there are startups like Docker, Chef and more.
Puppet solutions cover applications, cloud services, containerized services and network devices, and this mix is part of what attracts the business because many companies are not integrated into modern architectures, but are struggling with hybrids and new, cloud and on-site, and so on. (Indeed, the name "Puppet" refers to its operation: developers can control the actions of their applications on the network while puppeteers control the puppets, without being seen).
"ServiceChannel has an aggressive technology roadmap – a solution that takes advantage not only of the cloud's native capabilities and containerized applications, but also requires the modernization of existing critical systems." Automation is needed for us help to achieve this roadmap within the constraints of business, safely and on a large scale, "said Mark Trumpbour, vice-president of DevOps at ServiceChannel, in a statement.
Funding was led by Cisco, with Kleiner Perkins, True Ventures, Singapore's EDBI and VMware. Cisco and VMware are already key players in the field of DevOps (Cisco is already working with Puppet), while EDBI holds investments in a number of companies that are potential customers for startup.
"Companies are putting increasing pressure on corporate IT. It is therefore important that these organizations collaborate with technology providers with compelling innovation, world-class support and a global community of experts. Puppet has a proven track record in empowering its customers with all of these essentials, "said Rob Salvagno, vice president of corporate development and Cisco Investments, in a statement. "We are looking forward to working even more with Puppet as global demand for automation technology and innovation continues to accelerate."
"In the digital age, businesses are facing increasingly complex IT challenges related to their dynamic and diverse IT infrastructure. The Puppet Automation and Management Platform transforms the way companies manage and improve the efficiency of their IT assets and can help businesses in Singapore realize gains from productivity while ensuring compliance. in an additional statement. "By leveraging our network, we are eager to help Puppet to expand its local talent pool to respond to opportunities in the region through its APAC Regional HQ in Singapore and strengthen the strategy of digital transformation of Singapore. "