Two companies, a single mindset:

Red Gate’s acquisition of HyperBac pairs two companies that are remarkably similar in technology and customer-service philosophies.  Simple-Talk assigned freelance writer Bob Cramblitt to talk to the principals in the new alliance: Jeffrey Aven, director of HyperBac, and Simon Galbraith, joint CEO of Red Gate.

Acquisitions and mergers are rarely romantic.  They are filled with stuff that gives business a bad name: greed, hubris, shady dealings, mediocrity, and spectacularly unsuitable pairings (Time Warner and AOL, anyone?).  

But, like marriage, there’s no sense in blaming the institution.  And, sometimes companies, like individuals, get together for all the right reasons.  That appears to be the case with Red Gate and HyperBac Technologies.   

Simon Galbraith, joint-CEO of Red Gate, and James Moore, DBA tools division manager, are looking forward to bringing more products to the IT professionals community

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BC:

"Why did you think it was a good idea for your two companies to come together?"

SG:

A couple of years ago one of our engineers told me that an Australian company had come up with a product he thought we should have created – it was simple, innovative and ingenious.   I’ve had numerous suggestions to buy things over the 10 years we’ve been in business, but this is the only time I can recall a match this incredibly close. We subsequently met with HyperBac and not only was the product as our engineer had described it, but the people behind it were special too.

JA:

We thought Red Gate would provide the best environment and culture for HyperBac Technologies to continue development.  Red Gate has a strong, credible brand that will allow us to reach a greater number of DBAs and IT Admins.

BC:

How do you address the worst fear of customers in this situation: “The company whose tools I love is going away”?

SG:

We acquired HyperBac for two reasons: One, because we think HyperBac will complement SQL Backup Pro beautifully for customers who want to manage their SQL Server backups better.  And two, because the core technology might allow us to offer some amazing products to the market, such as being able to instantly restore a large compressed backup. We acquired this company because we love it – to damage the investment is very much against our interests and those of the IT community we serve.

JA:

We have a strong attachment to our products and our customers.  We would not have entered into this partnership if there was not an opportunity for us to grow the products and technology and deliver more value to existing and future customers.

BC:

What specific issues do you think HyperBac users will have about this transaction and how will you address them?

SG:

We’re hoping that there won’t be any issues for HyperBac users. Red Gate has a long tradition of buying assets and improving them – .NET Reflector, SQL Server Central and SQL Prompt were all created outside of Red Gate and have all thrived under our stewardship.

JA:

We’re working to assure our customers, partners and advocates that this acquisition will benefit the community in allowing access to greater resources and the ability to deliver more innovative solutions to more end users.  The best of HyperBac Technologies is yet to come.

BC:

What engineering and product development skills do you think Red Gate brings to the table that will help the migration of HyperBac technologies?

JA:

Red Gate offers strong design and usability skills in particular – their products are intuitive, simple and effective.  Red Gate’s skills and development methodologies are very complementary to our own.

SG:

We are known for our deep technical knowledge combined with our abilities to make products really work for users.  We’ve devoted a lot of thought and resources to relentless testing, usability, and helping customers succeed with our products.

BC:

Beyond technical expertise, what other capabilities, skills or experience does Red Gate bring to the table?

JA:

Red Gate has proven methodologies for bringing great products to the market.  It also has close connections to a much wider user community than we could reach on our own.

SG:

We have the patience and financial strength to persist in getting products right for our customers. We also have good ways to engage the community to find out what we need to do to satisfy user needs.

BC:

Will HyperBac developers have a role in moving their technologies forward at Red Gate?

JA:

Absolutely.  The development and product management team at HyperBac Technologies has made a long-term commitment to working with Red Gate.  My primary role will be managing the HyperBac suite of products moving forward under Red Gate.

SG:

We couldn’t do this alone.  We’re fortunate to have the HyperBac founders working with us over the long term to bring some really useful, wide-ranging products to the database and systems administration markets.

BC:

SQL Backup and HyperBac are competitive products. How can they be combined to create a greater whole?

JA:

There are unique qualities of SQL Backup and HyperBac that can be merged to benefit customers.  HyperBac could add accretive functionality and capabilities to the SQL Backup product.  I think the union of the two technologies will provide unparalleled strength and flexibility for DBAs.

SG:

We’ll be spending a long time just working out how to make sure that every customer benefits from this alliance. The two products will be available separately for the foreseeable future and we’ll be making sure that customers can experience the benefits both products offer.

BC:

Acquisitions are often undermined by cultural chasms. Why do you think your two cultures can coexist?

SG:

Cultural compatibility might be the most important part of any merger or acquisition.  I think we share with HyperBac core values of product simplicity and doing the right thing for the customer.

JA:

I agree. Red Gate has a strong sense of community and focusing on the end-user experience.  This is well aligned with our commitment to our customers and the SQL Server and IT communities as a whole.