Mondada

Dec 23, 2020

The biggest acquisitions in the Australian IT channel for 2020 CRN looks back at who bought who, and why in 2020. By  on Dec 23 2020, 10:02AM 1 of 68 As 2020 draws to a close, we look back at the biggest mergers and acquisitions of the past year. It had been a busy year for vendors, channel partners and distributors in terms of M&A activity, with companies of varying sizes exchanging hands. Click through the arrows to see the biggest acqusitions of 2020 so far! 8 January Sydney-headquartered managed services provider Intellectual Technology & Communication (IT&C) acquired Brisbane-based D&G Solutions Group. The deal expands IT&C’s presence in Queensland, where it currently has offices in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. D&G specialises in cloud, managed IT and technology consulting services, with multiple vendor partnerships including HPE, Microsoft, Cisco, AWS, Sophos, Veeam, Datto, among others. Veeam acquired in US$5 billion deal Veeam was acquired by private equity firm Insight Partners in a US$5-billion bet that Veeam can grow its US market business to become the dominate data management and data protection technology provider it is in Europe. New York-based Insight Partners unveiled its planned acquisition of Veeam with an eye on bringing new resources to bear on building Veeam's US business to take advantage of the need for cloud-based data management and data protection. As part of the acquisition, Switzerland-based Veeam's two co-founders, CEO Andrei Baronov and Ratmir Timashev, executive vice president of worldwide sales and market, will step down from their executive roles and from the company's board of directors after helping transition the company to its new owner. Arista buys Big Switch Networks Networking giant Arista Networks scooped up software-defined networking specialist Big Switch Networks, according to a new report. The reported deal would mark Arista's biggest acquisition to date, according to sources familiar with the deal in a report published by SDXCentral. A spokesperson for Arista said the company had "no comment" on the reported deal. CRN reached out to Big Switch for comment on the reported acquisition but did not hear back before publication time. Spirit Telecom snaps up Cloud BT, signals Sydney push Spirit Telecom revealed its latest foray into the Sydney market, this time with the $700,000 acquisition of managed IT provider Cloud BT. Founded in 2008, Cloud BT specialises in cloud and security, as well as IT consulting and outsourcing. The company raked in $1.3 million in revenue in the 2019 financial year. Spirit said in an ASX statement that the acquisition would bolster its cloud based, security managed services that run over its fixed wireless networks. There will also be “significant cross-sell opportunities” into Spirit’s existing IT customer base. CSG shareholders approve acquisition by Fuji Xerox Shareholders in managed services provider CSG Limited overwhelmingly voted in favour of Fuji Xerox’s proposal to acquire the company. As revealed in an ASX notice earlier today (pdf), 232 CSG shareholders voted in favour of the acquisition, compared to 29 who voted against the proposal. The 232 shareholders represented 99.75 percent of the votes cast. “CSG Limited is pleased to advise that the scheme resolution has been passed by shareholders at the meeting held today,” the announcement read. Perth's Cerberus Technologies acquired by global SI Convergint Technologies Perth-based systems integrator Cerberus Technologies was acquired by global SI Convergint Technologies for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition expands Convergint’s presence into Perth, adding to its existing offices in Sydney and Melbourne. Founded in 2004, Cerberus works with customers in Perth’s mining, local government, logistics and transportation markets. Some of its vendor partners include Cisco, Samsung, Genetec, Bosch and more. Aussie ISV Donesafe acquired by US-based Health & Safety Institute Australian safety and compliance software vendor Donesafe was acquired by US-based environmental health and safety company Health & Safety Institute (HSI) for an undisclosed sum. Sydney-based Donesafe developed a cloud-based platform that helps companies comply with regulatory and internal compliance initiatives. The solutions cover health and safety, environmental compliance, quality management and supplier management. In an announcement on its website, Donesafe said the acquisition is “a big win” for its customers, partners and the Donesafe team as the combination of the companies would create an end-to-end health, safety and compliance technology, training and chemical management portfolio. ASI Solutions acquired Sydney-based BEarena for an undisclosed sum. BEarena has been in business since 2007, specialising in virtual infrastructure, public and hybrid cloud solutions, managed services and backup and disaster recovery platforms. The company has a reputation for spotting emerging technologies and taking new vendors to market, as shown by its early success with Veeam and Nutanix which it brought to the Australian market in 2009 and 2012 respectively. BEarena’s two founders Darren Ashley and Kirstie Elderfield will move to ASI and expand their roles to work across the combined companies. Arq Group offloads Enterprise business for $35 million Arq Group secured a buyer for its troubled Enterprise business, offloading the division to a consortium that includes Sydney-based investment firm Quadrant Private Equity for $35 million. The consortium also includes certain members of Arq Group’s enterprise team, namely interim CEO Tristan Sternson and directors Justin Parcell and Cameron Boog. The $35 million price tag is all in cash and is on a debt free basis. The proceeds from the sale will go towards paying down company debt and focus on managing cost and maximising value for the remaining SMB business. Nexon Asia Pacific unveils three new acquisitions Sydney MSP Nexon Asia Pacific kicked off the new year with three new acquisitions thanks to an investment from private equity firm EQT Mid Market Asia last year. The company acquired Sydney Microsoft partner Remagine Solutions, Sydney-based XCentral, and the technology services and security solutions divisions of Melbourne-based Kiandra IT. The acquisitions are expected to boost Nexon’s cloud and managed IT practice, expand its Melbourne footprint, step up its security practice to the mid-market, and supplement its existing Microsoft Dynamics practice with new intellectual property. Spirit Telecom acquired the owner of two Melbourne-based managed services providers for $6.9 million. The telco acquired Trident Business Group and its MSPs Trident Computer Services and Neptune Managed Services. As part of the deal, both Trident and Neptune will comprise of a new business division called Trident IT Solutions, which will focus on providing custom-designed cloud-based IT and internet solutions for schools, hospitals, aged care providers and medium-sized businesses. Solution Tech buys Modern Computer Systems Perth-based MSP Solution Tech acquired 30-year-old IT company Modern Computer Systems, bringing with it a 1500-strong customer base. Founded in 1989, Modern Computer Systems is based on Balcatta, WA, and focuses on IT support, server solutions, email hosting and other traditional software and hardware. The company served over 1500 customers , mostly SMEs, though not all of those are active. It employs three staff, all of whom will be retained. Accenture snaps up SAP specialist Icon Integration Professional services giant Accenture snapped up another Australia channel player, this time it’s SAP consultancy Icon Integration. Founded in 2011, Icon Integration specialises in SAP digital supply chain solutions, as well as business intelligence solutions, data optimisation, and delivering bespoke enterprise technology to improve customers’ operational efficiencies. The company hires 70 staff across its offices in Sydney, Melbourne and New Zealand. Accenture said in a press release that Icon Integration typically works with large retail, consumer goods and government customers, particularly in warehouse management. Dell Technologies sells off RSA for US$2 billion Dell Technologies agreed to sell RSA Security to private equity firm Symphony Technology Group (STG) less than four years after acquiring the encryption pioneer. The technology giant said the US$2.08 billion sale of RSA will allow Dell to simplify its security strategy to focus on securing and protecting data at the edge, in the core, and in cloud environments. The transaction includes RSA’s four product lines as well as the industry-leading RSA Conference, and is expected to close in the next six to nine months. “The strategies of RSA and Dell Technologies have evolved to address different business needs with different go-to-market models,” Dell Technologies COO Jeff Clarke wrote in a blog post. “The sale of RSA gives us greater flexibility to focus on integrated innovation across Dell Technologies, while allowing RSA to focus on its strategy of providing risk, security and fraud teams with the ability to holistically manage digital risk.” Verizon Business to buy BlueJeans, taking aim at Zoom and Teams Verizon Business announced it acquired BlueJeans Network, a cloud-based videoconferencing provider to better compete during the COVID-19 coronavirus-related teleworking surge. BlueJeans Networks' enterprise-focused video and event platform will join Verizon's unified communications portfolio. The deal will help the carrier compete in the video space with the likes of Microsoft Teams and Zoom Video Communications, which has recently experienced some security and data privacy issues. Verizon did not disclose financial terms of the acquisition of privately-held BlueJeans, but a report published Thursday from The Wall Street Journal said that the carrier will pay less than US$500 million for the cloud video provider. HPE to acquire Silver Peak for US$925m to boost SD-WAN, Aruba Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s networking business is getting a serious shot in the arm with the unveiling of the company’s plan on Monday to acquire software-defined WAN standout Silver Peak for approximately US$925 million in cash. “HPE was an early mover in identifying the opportunity at the edge and that trend is accelerating in a post-COVID world,” said HPE president and CEO Antonio Neri, in a statement. “With this acquisition we are accelerating our edge-to-cloud strategy to provide a true distributed cloud model and cloud experience for all apps and data wherever they live. Silver Peak’s innovative team and technology bring critical capabilities that will help our customers modernize and transform their networks to securely connect any edge to any cloud.” HPE will combine Silver Peak’s SD-WAN technology with Aruba, HPE’s networking subsidiary, who was recently named a visionary in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant For Data Center And Cloud Networking. Jamf bolsters Apple patch management solutions with Mondada acquisition Apple systems integrator Jamf signed an agreement to acquire Apple patch management solutions firm Mondada to help improve macOS security. The news comes amid the virtual JNUC 2020 (Jamf Nation User Conference) this week in the US--which has also included other announcements such as a closer tie-in of Jamf’s solutions with Microsoft Enterprise Mobility and Security. Founded in 2009, Mondada employs five and is based in Melbourne. Its patch management solutions already integrate with the flagship Jamf offering in Apple device management, Jamf Pro. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ingram Micro to be acquired for US$7.2b Ingram Micro ownership is returning stateside with an announcement Wednesday that the company was purchased by US private equity firm Platinum Equity Partners for US$7.2 billion. The deal ends four years of ownership by HNA Group, a massive Chinese air carrier that embarked on a heavily leveraged acquisition binge that has since hobbled its growth and forced it to divest property as it struggles to make payments on its debt. HNA told Chinese regulators in May that it missed a US$750 million payment on a US$4 billion loan that was used to buy Ingram Micro. The deal is expected to close in early 2021. Platinum Equity Partners, which was founded by Chairman and CEO Tom Gores in 1995, has US$23 billion in assets under management. Gores also owns the NBA's Detroit Pistons.