The top IT channel acquisitions of 2021, so far

After a busy 2020, the IT channel remains a force for industry consolidation as we go into 2021.

With the first quarter of the year drawing to a close, we revisit the top mergers and acquisitions in the Australian and global IT channel.

Click through the arrows to see who made the list.

7 January

MSP First Focus IT acquires Brisbane-based Ordyss

Sydney-based managed services provider First Focus IT acquired Brisbane-based ICT solutions specialist Ordyss for an undisclosed sum.

First Focus said at the time the deal would shore up its expertise in service desk solutions, strategic consulting and recruitment services. The arrangement marks First Focus' second major acquisition, after it bought Flexnet last year.

First Focus chief executive Ross Sardi said Ordyss would act as the group’s government and enterprise specialists. The combined company had 220 total staff at the time of publication.

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11 January

Cognizant acquires Sydney-based Servian

Global systems integrator Cognizant acquired Sydney-based enterprise consulting services provider Servian for an undisclosed sum.

Servian specialises in data analytics, artificial intelligence, digital services, experience design and cloud. Some of its vendor partners include Google, Microsoft, AWS, Salesforce, Snowflake, Oracle, HashiCorp, Talend, Informatica and Red Hat.

Cognizant said the acquisition expanded its integrated, end-to-end digital transformation capabilities in Australia and New Zealand.

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1 February

Optus completes Amaysim acquisition

Optus finalised its $250 million purchase of Amaysim and acquired the mobile virtual network operator’s (MVNO) 1.2 million customers.

The deal closed after all conditions precedent to the acquisition were met, the telco said in a statement. The MVNO’s shareholders approved the sale last week which was the last hurdle for the two companies to seal the deal.

Optus said Amaysim would remain a standalone brand under its ownership.

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2 February

DXC rejects Atos' US$10b acquisition offer

DXC Technology announced it has rejected a US$10 billion acquisition offer from French integrator Atos.

The global systems integrator said the offer was “determined to be inadequate and lacking certainty”.

Both sides agreed to discontinue further discussions after sharing “certain high-level information”.

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3 February

EFEX adds Wollongong office with BMS Group acquisition

National managed service provider EFEX acquired Illawarra-based BMS Group to expand its presence in New South Wales.

BMS has been servicing the region for more than 30 years and, with this acquisition, its Wollongong office and 30 employees will add to EFEX’s 16 existing locations.

The current directors of BMS, Shaun Minogue and Jenny Balzarano, will be transitioning into the EFEX leadership team.

This expands EFEX’s serviceable market into what it describes as the ‘growth area’ of South West Sydney.

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3 February

Intuit acquires OneSaas to bolster omni-channel sales solution

Intuit acquired Aussie-born OneSaas, to bring omnichannel sales data integration into the new QuickBooks Commerce product. 

OneSaas is an infrastructure platform that normalises data from across marketplaces, point-of-sale, fulfilment, and other categories of ecommerce platforms for consumption by QuickBook Commerce. 

Based in Sydney, OneSaas was founded in 2010 by current chief technology officer Corneliu Tusnea and has been an Intuit partner and part of the QuickBooks App Store since 2014.

Click here to read the full story. 

3 February

Vonex finalises acquisition of Sydney-based Nextel

ASX-listed telco services provider Vonex finalised its acquisition of Sydney-based NBN reseller and NEC partner Nextel.

Vonex first announced the acquisition on 18 December 2020, with the total consideration set at $1.58 million.

Vonex said acquiring Nextel would allow for cross-selling and product expansion opportunities, while also growing its own customer base, carrier relationships and its New South Wales presence.

Nextel specialises in the design, installation and maintenance of voice, data and communications networks. It is also a single-source provider to small-to-medium enterprise (SME) businesses, offering services like rolling out wireless, fibre and RFID networks, delivering structured cabling, telephony systems and electrical fit outs to large-scale projects.

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10 February

East coast MSPs Inspired Techs, Answers IT merge

Brisbane-based managed services provider Answers IT merged with NSW Central Coast-based Inspired Techs to form Anspired.

The merger brings together a combined 23 years experience in cyber security solutions, including managing threats and providing protected IT solutions.

Answers IT’s Brendan Gibson and Inspired Tech’s Leon Black brought their businesses together to combine their different skill sets to address the increasing IT risks of conducting business.

The combined business now offers services including Protected Service Agreements, Cloud Solutions, Managed Security Devices and Disaster Recovery.

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15 February

Telco Hubify acquires Brisbane-based Nethoster's customer base

Telecommunications services provider Hubify acquired the customer database of Brisbane telco Nethoster for $800,000 cash.

In its ASX announcement, Hubify said the deal brings in 203 small and medium business customers with an annual recurring revenue of $4900 each, a total of over $1 million.

The acquisition also expanded the company’s presence into Queensland and its support services through Nethoster’s overseas operations.

Nethoster is a provider of data, voice, mobility and managed services to business customers predominantly in Queensland and northern New South Wales. The company will remain an independent entity following the transferral of the customer database on 26 February.

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18 February

Microsoft partner Clade Solutions acquires Brisbane-based Simient

Sydney-based tech consultancy Clade Solutions acquired Queensland and Northern Territory focused MSP Simient.

The deal came five months after Clade bought a 50 percent stake in Simient in September 2020.

Clade also established a new Microsoft ERP practice and a suite of financial tech services to supplement Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

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2 March

Cisco wraps US$4.5B Acacia Communications deal

After a tumultuous two months, Cisco Systems is now the owner of Acacia Communications Inc., after a majority of Acacia’s shareholders approved the deal.

The networking giant announced that it completed its US$4.5 billion Acacia acquisition on Monday after inking a new deal with Acacia in January. Together, Cisco said that Acacia’s technology will strengthen its innovation capabilities across software, silicon and optics, and enhance Cisco’s “Internet for the Future” strategy.

Acacia employees will join Cisco’s Optics business, as part of the Mass-Scale Infrastructure Group, led by Senior Vice President and General Manager Jonathan Davidson.

Cisco first announced plans to buy Acacia Communications for US$70 per share in cash in a US$2.6 billion deal on a fully diluted basis in July 2019.

Acacia in January opted to end the agreement, saying Cisco failed to get approval from the Chinese government’s State Administration for Market Regulation before the termination deadline, which was 8 January 2021.

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2 March

Arq Group acquires Sydney-based consultancy Diaxion

Digital services consultancy Arq Group acquired Sydney-based consultancy Diaxion for an undisclosed sum.

The deal bolsters Arq’s capabilities in advisory, government digital strategy and transformation as well as its footprint in Canberra through Diaxion’s experience and connections with Government departments.

Arq claimed the merged company would be the only Australian full-service tech, data and digital consultancy, as it now can offer in-house advisory capabilities and bolstered professional services through Diaxion.

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4 March

Xero acquires workforce management vendor Planday

Xero acquired Denmark-based workforce management platform vendor Planday for €155.7 million (A$241.8 million).

The acquisition helped bolster Xero’s small business platform through Planday’s simplified employee scheduling. It also boasts 350,000 users across Europe and the United Kingdom.

Planday’s platform helps deliver a real-time view of staffing needs and payroll costs, alongside key business performance metrics. It integrates with Xero and other accounting software, as well as third-party workforce-related apps.

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5 March

Melbourne tree management ISV acquired by global IT services provider

Global IT services provider Civica acquired ArborSafe Australia, a Melbourne-based provider of tree asset management software solutions.

ArborSafe clients include local, state and federal Government departments, educational institutions and corporate facilities. Its software helps facility operators to manage risk, meet compliance requirements and maintain healthy, long-lasting tree populations as both environmental and amenity assets. 

With over a million trees assessed in Australia, ArborSafe’s tree consultancy and management solutions ArborPlan and ArborSite were developed over its 15 years in operation.

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9 March

Sydney Google partner itGenius acquires Melbourne-based Cloudbase IT

Sydney-based Google Cloud partner itGenius acquired Melbourne-based cloud migration company Cloudbase IT for an undisclosed sum.

The deal extended itGenius’ reach into more small and medium-sized businesses across Australia, according to the company.

Cloudbase IT specialises in cloud migration and helping customers set up a remote and flexible workforce through Google Cloud’s business collaboration suite, which includes Google Workspace, Chrome web browser and Chrome devices.

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9 March

Sydney-based SaaS company acquired by US-based Criteria

Sydney-based SaaS provider Alcami Interactive was acquired by US-based Criteria, a SaaS people analytics platform vendor.

Alcami was founded by chief executive Jane Bianchini in 2014 and provides an on-demand video interviewing platform.

As a result of the acquisition, Alcami will offer Criteria’s solutions to its customers across APAC. Criteria plans to fully integrate the companies in 2022. 

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9 March

Vocus to be acquired for $3.5 billion by MIRA-Aware Super consortium

Telecommunications company Vocus agreed to be acquired by a consortium of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) and Aware Super for $3.5 billion.

The decision came one month after MIRA first approached Vocus with an indicative and non-binding proposal for $5.50 per share. Aware Super joined the consortium a few weeks later.

Vocus’ board unanimously recommended that shareholders vote in favour of the acquisition unless a superior offer is made. The scheme meeting is set for sometime in June this year and the transaction is expected to close by July.

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9 March

Bluechip Infotech to merge with DNA Connect to create new 'powerhouse' distributor

Bluechip Infotech announced it has merged with fellow distributor DNA Connect to form what it called a new “powerhouse” distributor in Australia.

The merger combines Bluechip’s SMB focus with DNA’s background with enterprise businesses, while also expanding each other’s product offerings.

“The merger positions both companies to be stronger and accelerate the growth by providing more solutions to a wider combination of channel partners and segments,” Bluechip Infotech managing director Johnson Hsiung said.

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16 March

Tesserent acquires Secure Logic's managed services business for $10 million, stock

IT security specialist Secure Logic sold its managed services business to ASX-listed security services firm Tesserent for $10.75 million and 42 million shares.

The deal will bolster Tesserent’s Government division and provide access to a 24x7 security operations centre in Sydney.

Secure Logic has existing relationships with the New South Wales Government and a number of Federal Government departments and agencies. It also has some international and domestic corporate and financial institutions as customers.

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17 March

5G Networks acquires bare metal specialist Intergrid

ASX-listed telco services provider 5G Networks acquired bare metal cloud provider Intergrid for $3 million.

Based in Sydney, Intergrid specialises in bare metal servers, or dedicated hardware that hosts only a single tenant at a time. It also offers cloud servers, colocation, IP transit and other services, and has operations in seven major cities across Australia and New Zealand.

5GN said the acquisition would “further strengthen” its wholesale cloud offerings, with its customers and partners now able to avail of bare metal servers.

The company added that assets acquired from Intergrid would also accelerate its infrastructure rollout to Australian data centres, which is expected to complete later this year.

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18 March

Spirit Technology to offload consumer broadband business

Spirit Technology Solutions put its consumer broadband business on the market as it shifts focus to business customers.

Spirit’s consumer business involves broadband services to customers in large residential apartment buildings across Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It covers 97 buildings and some 18,000 connections.

The divestment is part of Spirit’s shift to focus on the business market, ranging from SME to large enterprises, specialising in security, cloud and IT services.

Spirit has engaged accounting firm BDO, specifically partner Tony Schiavello, to conduct a formal sale process on behalf of the company.

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23 March

Synnex, Tech Data merge to create US$57B distribution titan

Two of the world’s largest IT distributors joined forces to create a USUS$57 billion giant with more than 150,000 customers and 22,000 employees.

The proposed USUS$7.2 billion merger of publicly traded Synnex and private equity owned Tech Data will be led by Tech Data CEO Rich Hume, (pictured) with Synnex President and CEO Dennis Polk serving as executive chair of the company’s board. The combined company will be 55 percent owned by Synnex shareholders and 45 percent owned by Apollo Global management, which bought Tech Data for USUS$5.4 billion in June 2020.

“This is transformational for Tech Data, Synnex and the entire technology ecosystem,” Hume said in a statement. “Together, we will be able to offer our customers and vendors exceptional reach, efficiency and expertise, redefining the experience and value they receive.”

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