Private equity firm Thoma Bravo may buy HPE Software from HP Enterprise, according to Reuters.
It has put in a bid between $8 billion and $10 billion for the company, although neither Thoma Bravo nor HPE have commented on the matter.
The news source spoke to "people familiar with the matter", who also commented that Thoma Bravo put in the highest bid for the firm, but it has not been confirmed whether or not HPE has accepted it yet. HPE could choose to sell to another firm it feels is more aligned with its values, for example, rather than going with the company that offers the most money.
However, Thoma Bravo could be well-suited to own HPE Software because it already owns a number of software firms including Dynatrace LLC and Compuware Corp that could potentially be merged with HPE to generate some cost savings.
Other companies rumoured to have bid for HPE Software include Vista Equity Partners Management LLC, Carlyle Group LP (CG.O) and TPG Capital LP.
HPE's share value rose by four per cent after the news came out, ending trading last week up 3.2 percent at $22.16.
HPE's Software division has gobbled up a number of other software firms, which has resulted in it having one of the most impressive portfolios of software around. It now owns big data analytics platform Vertica, cyber security firm ArcSight and Autonomy Corp.
