DevOps automation platform startup Puppet raises $42 million led by Cisco

DevOps, a set of practices that automates the processes between software development and IT teams, in order that they can build, test, and release software faster and more reliably. The global DevOps market size is expected to reach USD 12.85 billion by 2025, according to an estimate from the research firm ResearchAndMarkets.

The leader in this field is Puppet, an information technology automation software company designed for system administrators. The company helps organizations to deliver better software, faster. The company’s flagship products, Puppet and Puppet Enterprise, are designed to allow companies to automate configuration management and infrastructure, cut costs and help organizations better handle infrastructure management at scale.

Today, Puppet announced it has secured $42 million in funding led by Cisco Investments along with EDBI, Kleiner Perkins, True Ventures, and VMware. The news comes on the heels of continued growth and momentum for the leading DevOps and automation company, which recently closed its second acquisition, added multiple products to its portfolio and opened new global offices in the last year.

“Our rapid growth and international expansion is a testament to the rising demand for DevOps transformation, software automation and the pressing need for enterprises to navigate the new world of software delivery. That’s why we’ve been so focused on expanding our product portfolio—to empower customers to discover, deliver and operate software across their cloud and containerized environments,” said Sanjay Mirchandani, CEO, Puppet. “I’m thrilled by the momentum we’re experiencing. It helps us better support our customers’ journey to pervasive automation.”

Automation and DevOps progress have become a primary focus for IT teams in 2018. These practices are critical in helping enterprises deliver software with greater agility, while increasing security and quality. By 2020, 90 percent of the top 100 global companies will slash operational inefficiencies through DevOps practices [1]. Puppet’s innovation drives these DevOps and automation gains for customers. In the last year, Puppet released five new products and acquired two companies to provide key automation capabilities across every domain—infrastructure, applications, cloud, containers and networking devices.

“ServiceChannel has an aggressive technology roadmap. One that not only takes advantage of cloud native capabilities and containerized applications, but also requires modernization of existing, critical systems. Automation is necessary to help us deliver on that roadmap within the constraints of business—safely and at scale,” said Mark Trumpbour, VP of DevOps at ServiceChannel. “Puppet is a key partner we rely on to help us execute on our technology vision.”

“Businesses put increasingly massive pressure on enterprise IT—so, it’s important that those IT organizations partner with technology providers with compelling innovation, world-class support and a global community of experts. Puppet has a track record of empowering its customers with all of these critical elements,” said Rob Salvagno, VP of Corporate Development and Cisco Investments. “We look forward to working even more with Puppet as the global demand for automation technology and innovation continues to accelerate.”

In the last year, Puppet opened five new offices in Seattle, Singapore, Sydney, Timisoara and Tokyo to meet the increasing demand for DevOps and automation throughout the world. The most significant expansion was in Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) where Puppet opened a new regional headquarters in Singapore. As part of today’s announcement, Puppet is excited to add EDBI as a new investor, focused on the Singapore and APJ markets.

“In today’s digital age, companies face increasing complex IT challenges dealing with their dynamic and diverse IT infrastructure. Puppet’s automation and management platform transforms how companies manage and improve the efficiency of their IT assets and can help companies in Singapore realize productivity gains while ensuring compliance,” said Swee-Yeok CHU, CEO and President EDBI. “Leveraging our network, we look forward to helping Puppet scale up its local talent pool to address the region’s opportunities through its APAC Regional HQ in Singapore and to augment Singapore’s digital transformation strategy.”