Compuware
Compuware was a Detroit-based enterprise software and technology-services company best known for tools supporting mainframe development, testing, application performance, and modernization.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Compuware was an American enterprise software company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1973 by Peter Karmanos Jr., Thomas Thewes, and Allen B. Cutting, it began as a provider of professional technical services before developing a substantial portfolio of software for large organizations. Its products were particularly associated with IBM mainframe environments, where customers used them to develop, test, maintain, monitor, and modernize business-critical applications. The company expanded from its original Detroit base through regional offices and broader enterprise sales. In 1978 it opened a remote office serving the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore markets. Its growth accelerated during the expansion of corporate information technology in the 1980s and 1990s. Compuware completed an initial public offering in 1992 and traded on NASDAQ under the symbol CPWR. By the end of 1998, it had passed the one-billion-dollar revenue threshold, reflecting the scale of its software and services business at that time. Compuware’s business covered several related areas. It supplied mainframe development and lifecycle tools, software-testing products, application performance-management technologies, and professional services. Its portfolio supported organizations whose core transaction systems remained on mainframes, including large enterprises and institutions that required reliability, performance monitoring, controlled software releases, and long-term maintenance. Over time, the company became increasingly identified with the modernization and consolidation of mainframe tooling rather than with general-purpose consumer or desktop software. In 2003, Compuware moved its headquarters from Farmington Hills to downtown Detroit, establishing a prominent corporate presence in the city. The company’s ownership and strategic direction changed substantially in 2014, when private-equity firm Thoma Bravo acquired it for approximately $2.5 billion. Compuware became privately held, sold its headquarters building, and concentrated more closely on its mainframe software portfolio. Between 2016 and 2020, it added specialist capabilities through acquisitions including ISPW, Itgrations, and MVS Solutions, strengthening its position in mainframe development, testing, and data-management technologies. BMC Software acquired Compuware in March 2020 for approximately $2 billion. The transaction ended Compuware’s existence as an independent company. BMC retained the acquired product technologies and made them available under the BMC Automated Mainframe Intelligence, or BMC AMI, branding. As a result, Compuware survives primarily as a legacy product identity and as an important predecessor to BMC’s modern mainframe software portfolio rather than as a standalone operating company. The Compuware name was also used in hockey-related programs and teams associated with founder Peter Karmanos Jr. These activities included a Detroit-area youth hockey program, junior hockey franchises, and the Compuware Sports Arena. Although these sports properties were separate from the company’s software operations, they made the Compuware name visible in regional and North American hockey. The company therefore had a distinctive public profile combining enterprise technology, Detroit civic identity, and ownership or sponsorship interests in hockey.
History
Compuware was established in 1973 in Michigan by Peter Karmanos Jr., Thomas Thewes, and Allen B. Cutting. Its original business focused on professional technical services, serving organizations that needed specialized computing expertise. The company gradually developed and marketed software products alongside its services, with a focus on enterprise information systems and the large-scale computing environments used by major institutions. A regional expansion followed in 1978, when Compuware opened a remote office serving customers in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore area. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the company benefited from demand for tools that could help organizations build, test, operate, and maintain increasingly complex software systems. It completed its initial public offering in 1992 and was listed on NASDAQ under the ticker CPWR. By the end of 1998, Compuware had exceeded one billion dollars in revenue. The company became especially prominent in enterprise mainframe software. Its products addressed application development, software testing, performance management, release and change management, and related lifecycle needs. These capabilities were important to organizations that depended on long-lived mainframe applications for high-volume transaction processing. Rather than abandoning mainframes, many such customers needed tools that could improve developer productivity, manage risk, and connect established systems with newer development and modernization practices. In 2003, Compuware moved its headquarters from Farmington Hills to downtown Detroit. The move reinforced the company’s connection to the city and placed its operations in a prominent downtown development. The headquarters building was later sold after the company changed ownership. A major strategic transition occurred in December 2014, when Thoma Bravo acquired Compuware for approximately $2.5 billion. The transaction made Compuware privately held. Under the new ownership, the company concentrated on its mainframe software franchise, seeking to consolidate and modernize the portfolio rather than operate as a broad public technology-services company. The business also pursued targeted acquisitions. ISPW and Itgrations were acquired in 2016, followed by MVS Solutions in 2017; these transactions added capabilities in mainframe development, testing, release processes, and data-related technologies. BMC Software acquired Compuware in March 2020 for approximately $2 billion. The purchase ended Compuware’s independent corporate existence. BMC retained the software assets and continued offering them under the BMC Automated Mainframe Intelligence name. Compuware therefore became a predecessor brand within BMC’s mainframe product organization, with its technology continuing even though the original corporate entity no longer operated independently. The Compuware name also appeared in hockey through activities funded or supported by its founders. In 1978, Karmanos and Thewes founded the Compuware Youth Hockey Program in the Detroit area. The program developed players who later reached major junior, college, and professional hockey. Teams carrying the Compuware name included the Windsor Compuware Spitfires, the NAHL’s Detroit Compuware Ambassadors, and an OHL Detroit Compuware Ambassadors franchise. The OHL team later became the Detroit Junior Red Wings, then the Detroit Whalers, and finally the Plymouth Whalers. A Compuware hockey arena opened in 1996 in Plymouth Township and was later renamed Compuware Arena. In 2015, the USA Hockey Foundation acquired the facility, renamed it USA Hockey Arena, and relocated the United States National Team Development Program there. These sporting activities were an important part of the regional history of the Compuware name but were distinct from its enterprise software business.
- 2020
Acquired by BMC Software
[1]BMC Software acquires Compuware and subsequently offers its products under BMC AMI branding.
- 2017
MVS Solutions acquisition
[1]Compuware acquires MVS Solutions as part of its mainframe portfolio strategy.
- 2016
ISPW and Itgrations acquisitions
[1]Compuware acquires ISPW and Itgrations to broaden its mainframe development and related software capabilities.
- 2014
Thoma Bravo takes Compuware private
[1]Thoma Bravo acquires Compuware for approximately $2.5 billion.
- 2003
Headquarters moves to downtown Detroit
[1]Compuware relocates its headquarters from Farmington Hills to downtown Detroit.
- 1998
Revenue exceeds one billion dollars
[1]The company surpasses the one-billion-dollar revenue mark.
- 1992
Initial public offering
[1]Compuware becomes publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol CPWR.
- 1978
First remote office opens
[1]Compuware opens an office serving the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore region.
- 1973
Compuware is founded
[1]Peter Karmanos Jr., Thomas Thewes, and Allen B. Cutting establish Compuware as a provider of professional technical services.
Products and positioning
Enterprise-grade software and services for organizations operating mission-critical mainframe systems, with emphasis on development productivity, testing, performance, release management, and modernization.
Mainframe software development
Compuware mainframe development tools
A broad set of tools for creating, maintaining, debugging, and releasing applications running in mainframe environments. These products were designed for enterprise development teams responsible for large, long-lived systems and helped organize software changes across complex application estates.
Software testing
Compuware testing and quality tools
Testing technologies intended to help mainframe teams validate application changes, detect defects, and manage quality in systems where reliability and controlled releases are essential. The products formed part of Compuware’s broader application lifecycle and modernization portfolio.
Application performance management
Compuware application performance-management products
Performance-management and monitoring software used to assess the behavior of enterprise applications and supporting systems. These capabilities helped customers identify performance issues and maintain service levels across critical mainframe workloads.
Mainframe change and release management
ISPW
A mainframe development and release-management technology acquired by Compuware in 2016. ISPW strengthened the company’s ability to support controlled source-code management, continuous delivery practices, and coordinated application changes in enterprise mainframe environments.
Marketing campaigns
- 1978Compuware Youth Hockey Program
Detroit metropolitan area · United States
The company’s founders established a youth hockey program that became a long-running regional development pathway and helped associate the Compuware name with Detroit-area hockey.
Outcome. The program remained active and produced players who advanced to major junior, NCAA Division I, and NHL hockey.
Brand decisions
2020
Join BMC SoftwareM&ABackground
After several years under Thoma Bravo, Compuware had concentrated on mainframe development, testing, performance, and modernization technologies.
Action taken
BMC Software acquired Compuware for approximately $2 billion.
Aftermath
Compuware ceased operating as an independent company, while its products continued under BMC Automated Mainframe Intelligence branding.
Acquisition value. Approximately $2 billion transaction value (March 2020)
2014
Accept Thoma Bravo acquisitionM&ABackground
Compuware operated as a publicly traded enterprise software company with a major mainframe business.
Action taken
The company was acquired by Thoma Bravo for approximately $2.5 billion and became privately held.
Aftermath
Compuware focused more tightly on mainframe software modernization and portfolio consolidation.
Acquisition value. Approximately $2.5 billion transaction value (December 2014)
Recent events
- 2022
BMC announces relocation of its Detroit office[1]
Other
BMC announced that its Detroit-area office would move from One Campus Martius to Southfield Town Center, reflecting the post-acquisition transition of the former Compuware presence.
- 2020
BMC Software acquires Compuware[1]
M&A
BMC Software acquired Compuware for approximately $2 billion. Compuware ceased operating as an independent company, while its products continued under BMC AMI branding.
- 2017
Compuware acquires MVS Solutions[1]
M&A
The acquisition added further mainframe-oriented technology to Compuware’s consolidated software portfolio.
- 2016
Compuware expands mainframe portfolio through acquisitions[1]
M&A
Compuware acquired ISPW and Itgrations as part of a program to strengthen mainframe development, release, and related software capabilities.
- 2014
Thoma Bravo acquires Compuware[1]
M&A
Private-equity firm Thoma Bravo acquired Compuware in a transaction valued at approximately $2.5 billion, taking the company private.
- 2003
Compuware moves headquarters to downtown Detroit[1]
Other
Compuware relocated its headquarters from Farmington Hills to a new downtown Detroit building.
- 1998
Compuware surpasses one billion dollars in revenue[1]
Other
The company passed the one-billion-dollar revenue milestone as its enterprise software and services business expanded.
- 1992
Compuware completes initial public offering[1]
Other
Compuware became a publicly traded company on NASDAQ under the symbol CPWR.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/compuware · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled