SolarWinds
American IT infrastructure management software company whose products monitor and manage networks, systems, applications, databases, and cloud environments.
Last updated October 28, 2026
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Overview
SolarWinds is an American enterprise software company focused on IT infrastructure management. Its product portfolio is designed to help information-technology teams observe, administer, troubleshoot, secure, and automate complex environments spanning networks, servers, applications, databases, cloud services, logs, and service desks. The company is particularly associated with network monitoring and with the Orion platform, a suite that historically brought together several infrastructure-management products under a common management framework. The business originated in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1999, when brothers Donald Yonce and David Yonce founded the company after developing utilities for network administrators. SolarWinds adopted a relatively accessible software-sales model: it made some tools available for download, used trials and comparatively transparent pricing to attract technical buyers, and then sold broader or more capable products to organizations requiring centralized management and support. This approach helped it build a large customer base among small and medium-sized businesses while also expanding into larger enterprises and government agencies. SolarWinds moved its headquarters to Austin, Texas, in 2006 and expanded through both organic development and acquisitions. Important additions included network, virtualization, database, log-management, web-monitoring, service-desk, and managed-service-provider capabilities. Brands and products associated with the company have included Pingdom, Papertrail, Loggly, Librato, Samanage, VividCortex, SentryOne, and N-able. In 2021, the managed service provider business was separated into N-able, a separately traded company, leaving SolarWinds more concentrated on IT infrastructure and observability software for internal IT organizations and enterprises. SolarWinds first became publicly traded in 2009, was acquired and taken private by Silver Lake and Thoma Bravo in 2016, and returned to the public markets in October 2018. It was acquired by Turn/River Capital in a transaction announced in February 2025 and completed on April 18, 2025. Following the completion, SolarWinds ceased trading on the New York Stock Exchange and continued as a privately held software company. The company’s reputation was profoundly affected by the 2020 supply-chain compromise involving Orion software. Attackers inserted the SUNBURST backdoor into legitimate software updates distributed to customers, including public-sector agencies and major private organizations. A separate intrusion associated with the SUPERNOVA malware was also identified. The incident led to emergency government guidance, extensive investigations, litigation, regulatory scrutiny, leadership changes, and a major reassessment of software supply-chain security. Despite the incident, SolarWinds remains an active provider of monitoring, observability, database, service-management, and infrastructure software.
History
SolarWinds traces its origins to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where brothers Donald and David Yonce established the company in 1999. The founders had already developed early network utilities, including Trace Route and Ping Sweep, and used those products to address the practical needs of network administrators. SolarWinds released a web-based network-performance monitoring application in 2001, helping establish the company’s long-term focus on tools that allow IT staff to discover devices, measure performance, identify faults, and manage infrastructure without the cost or complexity traditionally associated with large enterprise suites. The company remained profitable from its founding through its first public offering. In 2006, it moved its headquarters to Austin, Texas, while retaining or developing operations in other locations. Funding from Austin Ventures, Bain Capital, and Insight Venture Partners in 2007 supported product development, sales expansion, and acquisitions. SolarWinds completed an initial public offering in May 2009, raising approximately $112.5 million. The offering occurred during a difficult market for new technology listings and helped raise the company’s profile among investors and enterprise technology buyers. Expansion after the IPO relied heavily on acquisitions. SolarWinds added products and companies covering network security, virtualization management, patch management, file transfer, database performance, web monitoring, metrics, log management, email security, service desks, and IT asset management. Acquisitions included Kiwi Enterprises, Hyper9, TriGeo, EminentWare, RhinoSoft, N-able Technologies, Confio Software, Pingdom, Librato, Papertrail, LogicNow, SpamExperts, Loggly, Samanage, VividCortex, and SentryOne. Some acquired offerings continued under their original names, giving SolarWinds a portfolio that extended beyond its original network-monitoring franchise. In 2015, Silver Lake Partners and Thoma Bravo agreed to acquire SolarWinds. The transaction closed in early 2016, taking the company private at a reported value of approximately $4.5 billion. During this period, SolarWinds continued investing in cloud and software-as-a-service products. In 2017, it introduced AppOptics, which combined capabilities associated with several acquired monitoring technologies and supported major public-cloud environments including Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. SolarWinds filed for another public offering in 2018 and completed the offering on October 19 of that year. The company continued to market products to small and medium-sized businesses, large enterprises, technology professionals, and public-sector organizations. By December 2020, it reported approximately 300,000 customers, including many Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. The company’s history changed sharply in 2020 when attackers compromised the software-build and distribution process for Orion. Malicious code known as SUNBURST was inserted into legitimate Orion updates released during 2020. Customers installed the updates because they were digitally signed and appeared to come through a trusted vendor. The intrusion remained undetected for months and affected organizations including FireEye, the United States Treasury Department, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Homeland Security. The United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued Emergency Directive 21-01 instructing federal civilian agencies to disconnect or disable affected Orion products. A distinct malware operation known as SUPERNOVA was also identified during investigations. The incident prompted intense scrutiny of SolarWinds’ security controls, disclosure practices, software-development processes, and executive oversight. It also led to investor litigation, investigations by government authorities, and a wider industry focus on software supply-chain security. Kevin Thompson retired as chief executive at the end of 2020, and Sudhakar Ramakrishna became chief executive in January 2021. SolarWinds also brought in former CISA director Chris Krebs to assist with cybersecurity response and remediation. In July 2021, the company separated its managed service provider operations into N-able, allowing SolarWinds to concentrate more directly on infrastructure-management and observability products for internal IT departments and enterprises. SolarWinds settled a related investor class action in 2022. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil enforcement action in 2023; the supplied reference material states that the case was dropped in November 2025. Turn/River Capital announced an agreement to acquire SolarWinds in February 2025. The transaction received approval from the company’s principal shareholders, closed on April 18, 2025, and resulted in SolarWinds becoming privately held and being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. The SolarWinds brand remains associated with IT infrastructure monitoring, observability, database management, service management, and related administration software.
- 2025
Acquisition by Turn/River Capital completed
[1]Turn/River Capital completes its acquisition of SolarWinds on April 18, and the company is delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.
- 2021
New chief executive and cybersecurity response
[1]Sudhakar Ramakrishna becomes chief executive, while former CISA director Chris Krebs is hired as a cybersecurity adviser.
- 2021
N-able separation
[1]SolarWinds separates its managed service provider business into N-able, a separately traded company.
- 2020
SUNBURST Orion supply-chain compromise disclosed
[1]SolarWinds discloses that malicious code was distributed through certain Orion software updates, affecting customers in government and private sectors.
- 2018
Return to public markets
[1]SolarWinds completes a new public offering on October 19 after three years of private ownership.
- 2017
AppOptics introduced
[1]SolarWinds launches AppOptics, a SaaS monitoring offering that integrates capabilities from several products and supports public-cloud environments.
- 2016
Company taken private
[1]The acquisition by Silver Lake Partners and Thoma Bravo is completed, reportedly valuing SolarWinds at approximately $4.5 billion.
- 2013
Expansion into MSP software
[1]SolarWinds acquires N-able Technologies, adding cloud-based software for managed service providers.
- 2009
First initial public offering
[1]SolarWinds completes an approximately $112.5 million IPO and becomes publicly traded.
- 2006
Headquarters moves to Austin
[1]The company relocates its headquarters from Tulsa to Austin, Texas.
Products and positioning
A practical, broad-based IT management and observability provider emphasizing deployable tools, wide infrastructure coverage, accessible purchasing, and value-oriented alternatives to more complex or expensive enterprise platforms.
Network monitoring
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
A network-monitoring product used to discover and monitor network devices, visualize performance, identify faults, and support operational troubleshooting. It represents the product category most closely associated with SolarWinds’ historical market identity.
Systems and application monitoring
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
A monitoring product for servers, applications, and related infrastructure. It is intended to give IT teams visibility into availability, resource conditions, application dependencies, and performance issues across physical, virtual, and hybrid environments.
IT infrastructure management platform
Orion platform
Orion was a platform used to host and integrate several SolarWinds infrastructure-management modules. It became internationally known because attackers inserted the SUNBURST backdoor into certain Orion updates distributed in 2020. Its historical role and product architecture should not be confused with the broader SolarWinds brand.
Cloud monitoring and observability · 2017
AppOptics
Introduced in 2017, AppOptics combined infrastructure and application monitoring capabilities associated with parts of SolarWinds’ portfolio. The SaaS offering was designed for environments using public-cloud services such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.
Log management
Papertrail
A hosted log-management service acquired by SolarWinds. Papertrail is associated with centralized collection, searching, and viewing of system and application logs, particularly for teams seeking a relatively simple cloud-based operational troubleshooting workflow.
Log analytics
Loggly
A cloud log-management and analytics service acquired by SolarWinds. It extends basic log collection with search, dashboards, alerting, and analysis intended to help operations and development teams investigate events across distributed systems.
Database monitoring
SolarWinds Database Performance Monitor
A database observability and performance-monitoring offering derived from SolarWinds’ database-management acquisitions, including VividCortex. It is aimed at identifying slow queries, resource bottlenecks, database health issues, and application-to-database performance relationships.
IT service management
SolarWinds Service Desk
A service-management and IT asset-management product associated with the company’s acquisition of Samanage. It supports service requests, incident workflows, asset records, knowledge resources, and related administrative processes for internal IT teams.
Managed service provider software · 2013
N-able MSP software
Software originally operated within SolarWinds for managed service providers, including remote monitoring, management, backup, security, and service-delivery functions. The business was separated from SolarWinds in 2021 and became N-able, so it is no longer a core SolarWinds product line.
Controversies
2021
Microsoft discloses source-code access in SolarWinds attack
Microsoft said SolarWinds attackers downloaded limited source code from repositories containing components linked to Azure, Intune, and Exchange. The article also reports that Microsoft completed its investigation and found no evidence that the attackers abused its products or internal systems to attack customers.
2020
SUNBURST Orion supply-chain attack
Attackers compromised SolarWinds’ software distribution process and inserted the SUNBURST backdoor into legitimate Orion updates released during 2020. The updates reached thousands of customers, including United States government agencies and major private organizations. The operation remained undetected for months and became one of the most consequential software supply-chain compromises publicly identified.
2020
SUPERNOVA intrusion
Investigators identified a separate intrusion involving SUPERNOVA, a web-shell-like malware associated with changes to Orion-related code. It differed from SUNBURST in implementation and lacked the same digital-signature characteristics, suggesting a separate operation.
2020
Security-control and disclosure criticism
Reporting and subsequent investigations raised concerns about weak credentials, software-build security, the timing of disclosure, certificate revocation, security staffing, and the company’s broader security culture. SolarWinds disputed or qualified aspects of some reporting, while the incident generated sustained regulatory and legal scrutiny.
2020
Insider stock-sale allegations
SolarWinds’ share price fell sharply after the Orion compromise became public, while reports highlighted substantial insider stock sales made before public disclosure. A company spokesperson said the sellers were not aware of the breach at the time.
2020
Sunburst cyberattack involving SolarWinds software
A report described the Sunburst cyberattack, in which attackers infiltrated SolarWinds and hid malware in an Orion software update downloaded by customers. According to the report, SolarWinds functioned as a channel for the attack rather than as its actual target.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017AppOptics cloud observability launch
Global
SolarWinds promoted AppOptics as a SaaS-oriented way to combine infrastructure and application monitoring capabilities, including compatibility with AWS and Azure.
Outcome. Expanded the company’s cloud-monitoring and observability positioning.
- Download-and-trial software acquisition model
Global
SolarWinds built demand by offering downloadable utilities and trial versions, then converting users to broader commercial products. The approach emphasized direct access for technical buyers and reduced friction compared with traditional enterprise-software sales.
Outcome. Helped establish a large customer base across smaller organizations and enterprises.
Brand decisions
2025
Accept acquisition by Turn/River CapitalM&ABackground
After years as a public company following its 2018 relisting, SolarWinds agreed to return to private ownership.
Action taken
Turn/River Capital agreed to acquire SolarWinds for approximately $4.4 billion. The transaction closed on April 18, 2025, at which point the company was delisted.
Aftermath
SolarWinds continued as a privately held software company under Turn/River Capital.
Announced transaction value. $4.4 billion announced acquisition value (Announced February 2025; completed April 18, 2025)
2021
Separate the managed service provider businessStrategyBackground
SolarWinds operated both software for internal IT organizations and products serving managed service providers. The two customer groups had different commercial and operating requirements.
Action taken
The company separated the MSP business into N-able, which became a separately traded public company.
Aftermath
SolarWinds became more focused on infrastructure management and observability for enterprise and public-sector IT teams, while N-able operated independently.
2021
Appoint new leadership after the cyber incidentStrategyBackground
The 2020 Orion compromise created a need for executive renewal and a visible cybersecurity-remediation program.
Action taken
Kevin Thompson retired as chief executive, Sudhakar Ramakrishna became chief executive, and former CISA director Chris Krebs was engaged to advise on the response.
Aftermath
The company pursued remediation and governance changes while continuing to face litigation, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational damage.
Recent events
- 2025
Turn/River Capital agrees to acquire SolarWinds[1]
M&A
Turn/River Capital announced an agreement to acquire SolarWinds for approximately $4.4 billion, subject to customary approvals.
- 2025
SolarWinds becomes privately held after acquisition[1]
M&A
The Turn/River transaction closed on April 18, 2025, and SolarWinds was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.
- 2021
SolarWinds appoints Sudhakar Ramakrishna as chief executive[1]
Leadership change
Kevin Thompson retired as chief executive, and Sudhakar Ramakrishna, formerly chief executive of Pulse Secure, assumed the role in January 2021.
- 2021
SolarWinds separates its managed service provider business[1]
M&A
The MSP business was separated from SolarWinds and became N-able, an independently traded company.
- 2018
SolarWinds returns to public markets[1]
Other
After several years under private-equity ownership, SolarWinds completed a new public offering in October 2018.
- 2015
SolarWinds acquired by Silver Lake and Thoma Bravo[1]
M&A
The private-equity firms announced an acquisition that took SolarWinds private in early 2016 in a transaction valued at approximately $4.5 billion.
- 2009
SolarWinds completes initial public offering[1]
Other
SolarWinds raised approximately $112.5 million in its initial public offering and began trading publicly.
Sources9 sources
- 1SolarWindsen.wikipedia.org
- 2SolarWinds official websitesolarwinds.com
- 3Sunburst cyberattack involving SolarWinds softwaredw.com
- 4Microsoft discloses source-code access in SolarWinds attacktechtimes.com
- 5SolarWinds 任命三位新高管 加速营造更安全的SolarWinds 和客户群cbinews.com
- 6SolarWinds Expands Partnership With M.Tech to Help Technology Professionals Solve Today’s IT Challenges in Chinaitbusinessnet.com
- 7SolarWinds introduces Database Mapper and Task Factory to DataOps fleet | iTWireitwire.com
- 8SolarWinds Introduces New Subscription Model for Its Popular On-Premises Productsfinanznachrichten.de
- 9SolarWinds任命Jeff McCullough 为全球合作伙伴销售负责人cloud.it168.com
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