M&A wrap-up of early 2023

A wave of mergers and acquisitions is sweeping through the Australian IT channel in 2023.

CRN has highlighted the many deals in the first months of the year that got the channel talking.

Click through to see who bought who.

1 March

Attura buys Hammond Street Developments

Technology services provider Atturra acquired Melbourne Microsoft partner Hammond Street Developments (HSD) for $6.5 million, through its subsidiary Veritec. 

The deal comprised $6 million in cash, and half a million in shares.

Attura chief executive Stephen Kowal said HSD provides extensive skills and experience in delivering successful outcomes for federal and state governments.

Click here to read the full story.

28 February

Fujifilm Business Innovation to acquire MicroChannel to grow global enterprise business

IT services provider MicroChannel Services and its affiliates will be acquired by Fujifilm Business Innovation, as the latter attempts to grow its global enterprise resource planning (ERP) business.

MicroChannel will be rebranded to Fujifilm MicroChannel Services.

Fujifilm Data Management Solutions’ managing director Brett Matthews will serve as the new chief executive of the acquired MicroChannel companies.

Click here to read the fully story. 

13 February

Brisbane's Relevate Group acquires Lance IT

Brisbane's managed service provider Lance IT has been acquired by fellow MSP Relevate Group, also based in the Queensland capital, aiming to complement its project services business.

The acquisition will allow Relevate to increase the size and reach of their business, allowing them to provide clients with a comprehensive end-to-end service for IT managed services and support.

"The acquisition allows us to extend what we already do to create an end-to-end service. Now we can go on and do bigger things with our customers,” Relevate director and CRM and marketing automation specialist Avon Collis said.

Click here to read the full story. 

10 February

Dicker Data to acquire Connect Security Products

Dicker Data has entered a sale and purchase agreement to acquire New Zealand distributor  Connect Security Products (CSP). 

The acquisition is a net asset purchase and the purchase price of NZD$5.0m comprises of $3.5m for goodwill with balance for net business assets estimated at $1.5m at completion being predominantly for inventory.

This acquisition is considered valuable addition to Dicker Data’s Access and Surveillance (DAS) platform as it will accelerate the launch of the DAS business in the New Zealand market.

CSP is partnered key brands including Bosch, Sony, Assa Abloy, HID and Motorola.

Click here to read the full story.

9 February

Tquila ANZ acquired by Publicis Sapient

Salesforc consultancy Tquila ANZ has been acquired by Publicis Groupe's digital transformation company, Publicis Sapient. 

The company specialises in multi-cloud solutions, Vlocity, Salesforce and MuleSoft, providing services to federal government, healthcare and private sector clients.

"Tquila ANZ is a strategic acquisition which continues to build the foundation for our strong growth in the APAC region and further expansion of our Salesforce partnership globally," Publicis Sapient chief executive officer Nigel Vaz said.

​Click here to read the full story. 

7 February

Thoughtworks buys Itoc

NASDAQ listed technology consultants Thoughtworks has bought cloud managed service provider Itoc, to expand on its capabilities to migrate enterprise clients to the cloud.

With 70 employees, Itoc was founded in 2012 by Richard Steven and Trent Haag who will both stay on with the business along with all other staff.

​Click here to read the full story. 

7 February

SAP shop Think180 sold to KPMG

Global management consultants KPMG has acquired Adelaide-headquartered SAP partner, work and project specialist firm Think180 for an undisclosed sum.

The deal will add Think180’s team of more than 30 people to KPMG’s existing SAP team, expanding its capabilities in work execution, asset management, regulatory compliance, analytics, managed services and migrations and integrations.

Founded in 2007, Think180 works with energy, mining, and construction clients across Australia, deploying SAP technology and improving investment in asset management for large organisations.

​Click here to read the full story. 

6 February

Byte buys Melbourne contact centre firm RiseCX

Melbourne managed service provider Byte has acquired RiseCX, a contact centre as a service company that offers consulting and systems integration, for an undisclosed sum.

Through this acquisition, Byte said it will be able to expand its customer experience and digital offerings.

Byte provides end-to-end network connective solutions, private and public cloud infrastructure, security and contract centres, the company said.

​Click here to read the full story. 

2 Feb

Symbio buys Intrado Australia

ASX-listed voice communications provider Symbio has acquired Intrado Australia in a deal worth $5 million in cash.

Intrado Australia provides end-to-end cold calling, contact centre and collaboration offerings, targeting the enterprise and government markets.

Buying the American unified communications as a service provider's Australian arm will add around 60,000 seats for Symbio's UCaaS division, which is headed up by chief executive Iain Falshaw.

​Click here to read the full story. 

1 Feb

Tesserent to buy ALC Group 

ASX listed security vendor Tesserent is buying Brisbane headquartered infosec training company ALC Group, which operates nationwide and in New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia.

Tesserent said the ALC acquisition was for its Academy training division, aiming to build a profitable cyber security training business in the Australasian matket. 

Tesserent also said the ALC deal is based on a multiple of four times sustainable earnings, set to $5.8 million, with an earn-out of $1.5 times on incremental earnings in the full financial 2023 year.

​Click here to read the full story. 

31 Jan

8Squad buys Two21

Melbourne-based systems integrator, Salesforce partner and 2022 CRN Fast50 company 8Squad has acquired Perth based software company and Salesforce partner Two21.

8Squad commented that this acquisition “comes at a time of significant growth for 8Squad and is the final piece of the map for its national footprint.”

The new 8Squad team in Western Australia will provide businesses access to tier-one skills, expertise and local knowledge to help them successfully scale and navigate digital transformation projects.

​Click here to read the full story. 

11 Jan

Ambertech buys Convoy

Sydney-headquartered audio-visual solutions distributor Ambertech Limited has reached an agreement to acquire Sydney-based Convoy International’s distribution business.

The deal is expected to be valued in the order of $2.8 million to $3 million, according to an announcement to the ASX by Ambertech. 

Ambertech expects the acquisition to result in initial incremental revenue growth of $4 million to $5 million annually.

​Click here to read the full story.