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SAN FRANCISCO & CHICAGO--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--[ Thoma Bravo, LLC ], a leading private equity investment firm, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell portfolio company [ SonicWALL, Inc ]., a leading provider of IT security and data backup and recovery solutions, to Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL). Financial terms were not disclosed.

"We are pleased to have worked with SonicWALL during this period of increased growth and investment. The companyas ability to achieve and sustain leadership and innovation in advanced IT security for customers of all sizes helped attract this acquisition by Dell, a leading global innovator in technology"

aWe are proud of our strong partnership with the SonicWALL management team,a said Thoma Bravo managing partner Orlando Bravo. aDuring our ownership of the company, their implementation of our operational strategies resulted in a significant increase in SonicWALLas value.a

aWe are pleased to have worked with SonicWALL during this period of increased growth and investment. The companyas ability to achieve and sustain leadership and innovation in advanced IT security for customers of all sizes helped attract this acquisition by Dell, a leading global innovator in technology,a added Seth Boro, partner at Thoma Bravo.

Thoma Bravo led an investor group that includes Ontario Teachersa Pension Plan (through its private equity group, Teachersa Private Capital) in the acquisition of SonicWALL, formerly a public company, in a take-private transaction in 2010.

aWe appreciate the expertise Thoma Bravo brought to SonicWALL and attribute our recent growth and strengthened position in the network security industry to the leadership and operational best practices that Thoma Bravo brought to our partnership,a said SonicWALL President and CEO Matt Medeiros. aWe remain committed to providing dynamic solutions and exceptional customer support to enterprise organizations worldwide and look forward to this next phase of growth with Dell.a

Established in 1991 and headquartered in San Jose, CA, SonicWALL provides dynamic network security and data protection solutions for small, mid-sized and large enterprise organizations worldwide. With offices in 23 countries and more than 950 employees serving customers in 50 countries, SonicWALL delivers award-winning solutions that include network security, secure remote access, email security, backup and recovery, and policy and management.

Centerview Partners LLC served as an advisor to SonicWALL.

The transaction is expected to close within 45 days.

About Thoma Bravo, LLC

Thoma Bravo is a leading private equity investment firm building on a 30+ year history of providing equity and strategic support to experienced management teams building growing companies. The firm has continued to apply the concept of industry consolidation investing, which seeks to create value through the strategic use of acquisitions to accelerate business growth. Thoma Bravo invests across multiple industries, with a particular focus in enterprise and infrastructure software and financial and business services, and works in partnership with management to implement its operating and consolidation expertise to build long-term value. The firm currently manages a series of private equity funds representing almost $4 billion of equity commitments. In software, Thoma Bravo has completed 47 add-on acquisitions across 21 platform companies with total annual earnings of approximately $1 billion. For more information, visit [ www.thomabravo.com ].

About SonicWALL, Inc.

Guided by its vision of Dynamic Security for the Global Network, SonicWALL develops advanced intelligent network security and data protection solutions that adapt as organizations evolve and as threats evolve. Trusted by small and large enterprises worldwide, SonicWALL solutions are designed to detect and control applications and protect networks from intrusions and malware attacks through award-winning hardware, software and virtual appliance-based solutions. For more information, visit [ http://www.sonicwall.com/ ].

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) listens to customers and delivers worldwide innovative technology, business solutions and services they trust and value. For more information, visit [ www.dell.com ].