Flexera, Chicago’s Tech Unicorn, Rides 2018 Momentum to Major 2019 Expansion

Chicago’s Meteoric Tech Company Achieves Milestone Year through Industry Recognition, Portfolio-Expanding Acquisitions and Robust Hiring


ITASCA, Ill., March 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Flexera, the software company that helps organizations realize technology’s power to accelerate their business, today announces a series of corporate milestones and record achievements. Flexera closed out 2018 by breaking company records in revenue, approaching $400 million. Last year’s unprecedented growth was underpinned by strong organic expansion, three strategic acquisitions, recognition from Gartner as both a leading software asset management and cloud management solution, and a number of key management hires.

Flexera is the largest homegrown technology company in the Chicago area, employing more than 1,300 globally with 288 in Chicago, and serving more than 51,000 customers worldwide. The Chicago headquarters, located in Itasca, has added 97 staffers since Q1 2018, with 42 positions currently open.  

“I’ve been with Flexera for more than twenty years and have seen the company transform into this amazing tech unicorn through a combination of passionate team members, strategic acquisitions, innovative products and committed customers,” said Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Flexera.

“Flexera provides solutions that enable companies to increase their category relevance and avoid obsolescence,” continued Ryan. “And analysts are taking notice. Most recently we were positioned in the Leaders Quadrant of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Management Platforms – an accolade that’s not easy to come by. We’ve built a strong, unique offering made up of integrated, modular and complete solutions that deliver strategic results for our customers.” 

In 2018, Flexera was also named IoT Enablement Company of the Year by IoT Breakthrough, and received an IoT Global award for its innovative monetization platform, used by companies all over the world to implement their digital business models.

The category-defining product InstallShield has been an integral component of software development across industries worldwide for more than 30 years.

Flexera’s momentum was significantly accelerated with the recent acquisition of RightScale, a category leader in enterprise cloud management. The acquisition strategically positions Flexera to better help C-level executives by providing visibility and control over the ever-increasing amounts of capital, resources and man-hours organizations spend on technology.

Flexera augments its commitment to customer success by providing valuable business-building insights and identifying market trends. The annual RightScale State of the Cloud Report from Flexera is the leading survey of corporate cloud users, highlighting emerging trends directly impacting technology and market conditions. The report’s findings are consistent with what Flexera hears from C-level customers: managing the rapid increase in cloud use requires new capabilities for spend optimization and IT governance. Flexera’s solutions allow companies to optimize spend across on-premise, cloud and software as a service (SaaS), and reallocate wasted spend to support critical IT initiatives.

Additional strategic acquisitions in 2018 include Meta SaaS, which focuses on SaaS spend management capabilities, and Brainwaregroup, which enhanced Flexera’s position as the leading global provider of software asset management (SAM) solutions for enterprises seeking to optimize software spend and minimize licensing risk across their portfolios.

To complement Flexera’s accelerating business trajectory, the company also unveiled a new brand campaign amplifying its mission to help organizations future-proof themselves. The new tagline, “Inform IT. Transform IT.” highlights how Flexera leads the category in the continuously evolving technology landscape. Flexera helps customers ramp up new technologies, illuminate their IT “black hole,” and successfully optimize budgets, time and talent. The new brand includes a fully reimagined website, marketing collateral and messaging.

In addition to coveted industry recognition, Flexera was named a 2018 Top Workplace by the Chicago Tribune for the 7th consecutive year with high marks for alignment, execution and connection with employees.

“Flexera’s culture attracts employees who want to make a difference, are passionate, seek to give back and step out of their comfort zones,” said Ryan. “These awards confirm our employees have the freedom to ask questions, do things differently and break boundaries.”

To learn more about Flexera or to review open positions, visit www.flexera.com and www.flexerasoftware.com.

About Our Company
Flexera (www.flexera.com) gives companies clarity into their technology “black hole,” helping business leaders turn IT insight into action. With a portfolio of integrated solutions that deliver unparalleled technology insights, spend optimization and agility, Flexera helps enterprises realize IT’s full potential to accelerate their business. Flexera Software (www.flexerasoftware.com) offers solutions that help software and IoT companies implement new business models, protect their intellectual property and increase customer satisfaction. These two divisions are fueling the unprecedented growth of Chicago’s technology unicorn.

Press Contact:
Ashleigh Giliberto
Corporate Communications Manager
847.466.4302
agiliberto@flexera.com