Devolutions acquires PowerShell Universal to boost IT automation

Devolutions has acquired PowerShell Universal, an automation and management platform used by IT professionals and developers worldwide, and welcomed its creator Adam Driscoll to the company.

The acquisition will see Driscoll join the Devolutions team to oversee the ongoing development of PowerShell Universal. This move forms part of Devolutions' strategy to strengthen its offering to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and mid-market organisations, particularly within the fields of IT automation and operations.

David Hervieux, Chief Executive Officer of Devolutions, described the acquisition as an important step in the company's development. He stated, "This acquisition marks a key milestone in our long-term strategy to build a sustainable, world-class technology company serving IT professionals. PowerShell Universal fits seamlessly into our vision by enhancing automation capabilities and strengthening the productivity of modern IT environments. We remain committed to identifying and integrating the most impactful technologies to help IT teams do more, securely, efficiently, and with confidence."

Automation focus

By integrating PowerShell Universal, Devolutions' clients are expected to benefit from a flexible automation and orchestration framework designed to enhance the way IT teams manage and scale their operations. The platform is based on PowerShell and provides a modular structure facilitating the central management of scripts, automation of repetitive tasks and creation of web-based dashboards and portals for visibility and control.

Describing the aims and scope of the solution, Adam Driscoll commented, "With PowerShell Universal, we're bridging the gap between traditional automation and the next generation of AI-driven IT operations. I'm thrilled to join Devolutions to help evolve the solution and make it available to its network of over 10,000 clients worldwide. Our goal is to make the complex simple, and the simple automatic."

Devolutions plans to include PowerShell Universal in its suite of core products over time. This includes integrating it into the company's flagship software, Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager, to offer what it describes as an "AI-in-context experience" within the tools used daily by IT teams.

Strategic direction

This transaction is part of a series of acquisitions and investments by Devolutions targeting the enhancement of its technology ecosystem for IT professionals. Previous strategic activities include a USD $3 million sponsorship of Avalonia earlier this year aimed at supporting the development of Avalonia Accelerate, a cross-platform user interface framework developed by a global open-source .NET community.

In 2023, Devolutions acquired the strategic assets of ITmanager.net. This expanded Devolutions' expertise in PowerShell remoting and Windows protocols, including WinRM and LDAP, and introduced advanced Active Directory management alongside web-based dashboard functionality.

"We're investing in technologies that not only strengthen our product ecosystem, but also reflect our belief in open collaboration, platform diversity, and long-term value for IT professionals," adds David Hervieux.

Background on PowerShell Universal

PowerShell Universal, developed originally by Ironman Software, is both a cloud-based and on-premises platform. It allows IT teams to develop, manage and orchestrate scripts in a secure and user-friendly manner, combining features such as web portals, REST APIs, task scheduling and centralised script management within a single interface.

Devolutions, established in 2010 in Canada, provides remote connection and privileged access management solutions primarily to SMBs and mid-market organisations. Its portfolio is designed to help manage access and passwords, automate IT environments, and support secure remote connections, with a client base of over one million users in 140 countries.