Brocade to Acquire Ruckus Wireless to Build a Networking Company for the Digital Transformation Era

Apr 5, 2016:

Brocade has announced that it will acquire Ruckus Wireless. The combined company is expected to be #1 in storage area networking, #1 in service provider Wi-Fi, #2 in data center networking, #3 in enterprise wireless LAN, and #3 in enterprise edge networking in the U.S. and EMEA. The acquisition will add Ruckus’ higher-growth, wireless products to Brocade’s market-leading networking solutions. It will also significantly strengthen Brocade’s strategic presence in the broader service provider space, with Ruckus’ market-leading Wi-Fi position.

Brocade expects the transaction to be accretive to its non-GAAP earnings by its first quarter of fiscal 2017. The Ruckus organization will be led by current Ruckus CEO, Selina Lo, and report directly to Brocade CEO, Lloyd Carney. Ruckus stockholders will receive $6.45 in cash and 0.75 shares of Brocade common stock for each share of Ruckus common stock. Based on the closing price of Brocade’s stock on April 1, 2016, the transaction values Ruckus at a price of $14.43 per common share, or approximately $1.5 billion. Net of estimated cash acquired, the transaction value is approximately $1.2 billion. The cash portion of the purchase price will be funded through a combination of cash on hand and new bank term loan financing.

Lloyd Carney, CEO, BrocadeSelina Lo, CEO, Ruckus



As companies move to digitize their business, they need an underlying network architecture that supports business agility. This New IP architecture enables the network to become a platform for innovation and for developing, delivering, and securing new applications. Wireless is a critical access technology and the combination of Brocade and Ruckus creates a new type of pure-play networking company, with solutions spanning from the heart of the data center to the wireless network edge. In addition, after close, the acquisition is expected to accelerate cross-selling activities into the respective companies’ partner and customer bases, opening up new revenue opportunities for the combined company across a variety of verticals, including large enterprises, K-12 and higher education, government, hospitality, and service providers.

Further, the acquisition will strengthen Brocade’s ability to pursue emerging market opportunities around 5G mobile services, Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Cities, OpenGtm technology for in-building wireless, and LTE/Wi-Fi convergence. Brocade and Ruckus believe that the integration of Wi-Fi and the use of shared access or lightly licensed spectrum are critical to meeting the ever-growing demand for coverage, capacity, and consistency required for next-generation mobile services. These elements are important in Brocade’s strategy to disrupt and enhance the way edge services are created and delivered.

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