MSPmentor » Acquisitions http://www.mspmentor.net Managed Services & Cloud Services Blog for VARs & MSPs Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:02:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 2006-2007 joe@ninelivesmediainc.com (MSPmentor) joe@ninelivesmediainc.com (MSPmentor) 1440 http://www.mspmentor.net/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg MSPmentor http://www.mspmentor.net 144 144 Managed Services Blog for Top Managed Service Providers MSPmentor MSPmentor joe@ninelivesmediainc.com no no MSP Acquisition: TCI Acquires Savid for Security and Compliance http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/13/msp-acquisition-tci-acquires-savid-for-security-and-compliance/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/13/msp-acquisition-tci-acquires-savid-for-security-and-compliance/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:11:11 +0000 Nicholas Mukhar http://www.mspmentor.net/?p=29229 Technology Capital Investors (TCI), an IT services investment firm, has acquired Savid Technologies, a managed service provider and security consulting firm. Here's the scoop on what Savid will add to the TCI family of MSPs. ]]> Technology Capital Investors (TCI), an IT services investment firm, has acquired Savid Technologies, a managed service provider and security consulting firm. Here’s the scoop on what Savid will add to the TCI family of MSPs.

TCI was looking for some regional leverage in North America and found what it was looking for in Savid, which is based in Chicago, Ill. According to TCI Managing Partner Sam Attias, Savid’s headquarters will become TCI’s “central hub” for its new North American security and compliance practice.

TCI is planning to launch the practice during Q1 2012, and its Savid Technologies acquisition appears to be the last piece to be put into place. According to Attias, TCI will leverage Savid’s security consulting expertise in order to build a fully integrated security offering for TCI’s North American partners to sell to their end-users.

Savid’s Security Expertise

Savid’s security expertise starts at the top with Savid Technologies CEO Michael A. Davis, who TCI refers to in its press release as an “industry renowned cloud security expert.” Davis will continue in his current role, as Savid will keep its own brand name and its leadership in place under the terms of acquisition.

More to Come in 2012

The Savid Technologies acquisition is the first major move of the year for TCI. If 2011 was any indication, then we should be hearing a lot more from the company this year. Adding OS33 President Jacob Kazakevich to its Board of Directors, teaming with MSPExcellence and acquiring Bravura Networks were just some of TCI’s major accomplishments last year. And as mentioned, the company plans on picking up steam by launching its North American security and compliance practice within the next month and half. We’ll be tracking the company’s progress throughout 2012.

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]]> http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/13/msp-acquisition-tci-acquires-savid-for-security-and-compliance/feed/ 0 Small Business Mergers and Acquisitions: 5 Lessons Learned http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/08/small-business-mergers-and-acquisitions-5-lessons-learned/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/08/small-business-mergers-and-acquisitions-5-lessons-learned/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:21:14 +0000 Joe Panettieri http://www.mspmentor.net/?p=29044 As the merger and acquisition trend continues across the managed services market, I figured it's time to weigh in with a few of my own experiences. It has been roughly five months since Penton Media (a big company) acquired Nine Lives Media (a small media business and parent of MSPmentor). The Penton-Nine Lives combo has worked out really well. But I must also concede: I've made my share of mistakes since the M&A deal was announced. Here are five such mistakes, and the things I'd do differently next time around. ]]> As the merger and acquisition trend continues across the managed services market, I figured it’s time to weigh in with a few of my own experiences. It has been roughly five months since Penton Media (a big company) acquired Nine Lives Media (a small media business and parent of MSPmentor). The Penton-Nine Lives combo has worked out really well. But I must also concede: I’ve made my share of mistakes since the M&A deal was announced. Here are five such mistakes, and the things I’d do differently next time around.

1. Listen More, Talk Less: During my meetings with the Penton IT/Developer team in Fort Collins, Colo., I’ve spent considerable time talking — with pride — about Nine Lives’ brands (MSPmentor, The VAR Guy and Talkin’ Cloud). I yapped, yapped, yapped about our communities. In retrospect, I wish I talked a whole lot less and listened a whole lot more.

Nine Lives essentially is a small business. Penton has more than 1,000 employees. Many of those folks — our peers — are experts in their fields (content, search engine optimization, sales, etc.). I’ve learned a lot already from those folks. But I could learn more — and learn faster — if I simply listened more often.

Lesson for MSPs: Small business owners tend to be fiercely independent. They believe deeply in their own ideas and strategies. But there’s a reason why small businesses get acquired by bigger companies. The bigger companies know how to automate processes and gain economies of scale. At some point, the small MSP owner has to swallow his or her pride and admit there’s a lot to learn from larger companies.

2. Network Far More Internally: Most of my day is spent networking across the IT industry — mostly in the channel. One of my favorite parts of the day: Replying to reader comments across our sites. Meanwhile, Penton remains packed with editors who have far more experience than me building websites that attract millions of page views. I’ve started participating in twice-monthly editorial calls with the Penton team, learning more about the team’s leadership styles, talents, goals, etc. I wish I had done that sooner.

Lesson for MSPs: We’ve seen quite a few MSPs get acquired by national IT service providers. If your company gets swallowed up then make internal networking a top priority. Plug into the internal tools — staff portals, conference calls, social media groups — to get known fast. And begin to learn from people who are smarter than you.

Indeed, there are people smarter than you.

3. Take New Paths to New Goals: We’ve leveraged a pretty basic business model to build community at Nine Lives. We network at live events, we connect with CXO leaders, and we pull the conversation back onto our websites. The outcome: We generate about 250,000 page views per month across our channel sites. Meanwhile, Penton has websites that generate millions of page views from influential audiences. Surely, Penton’s path to big website traffic was different than our path to community development.

Lesson for MSPs: The steps you took to build an early-stage growth company will be drastically different than the steps you take when joining a more mature, sustainable business. Hold fast to your secret sauce but admit to yourself that you’ll need to embrace those alternative recipes for success.

4. Embrace IT Systems That Can’t Be Changed: When Nine Lives was an independent company, I  lived non-stop on my personal cell phone. Office phone? Who needs that? And I typically booked all my travel through Expedia before sending my expenses in a simple spreadsheet over to my business partner, Amy Katz. Many of my expense reports at Nine Lives were filed late. Very late.

When I arrived at Penton Media I received a new VoIP phone, and access to the company’s employee portal for filing expense reports, booking travel and so on. It was a shock to my system. I have certainly used corporate IT systems before — during my time at Ziff Davis Media and CMP Media. But it had been a few years since I adhered to corporate policy and plugged into a big corporate network.

The first few weeks at Penton (September 2011), my new VoIP phone sat in a box on the floor. The phone had some technology glitches and I didn’t rush to call the help desk for assistance. I ignored the expense reporting system as best I could. I clung fast to my old ways. That is, until I realized some battles are not worth fighting. By October 2011 I started to see the error of my ways. The faster I plugged into Penton’s IT systems, the faster I could focus on my true love: Building and managing our web sites. I finally learned that the IT systems could save me time … if I just learned their nuances.

Lesson for MSPs: The moment you sell your business to a larger company you’ve essentially bet your business on that company’s core IT infrastructure (email, phone, finance, travel, etc.). Accept those realities super-fast. But never — ever — let go of more specialized IT systems that made your small business great. In our case, that means holding fast to our WordPress-based websites until somebody shows us a better solution.

5. Don’t Forget to Laugh (Even At Yourself): My personality is pretty simple. I tend to be very intense when it comes to winning, success and competition. But I also laugh — a lot. During the M&A process, I think I got pretty intense. I was uptight during the negotiations, which were in good hands with Amy Katz (my business partner), our advisors and the Penton team. But the process weighed on me. And certainly, the process was all-consuming for Amy.

Looking back, I would have spent more time calling Amy to talk about non-M&A items — life, family, vacations. Now that it has been five months since the Penton-Nine Lives deal was finalized, I’ve learned to relax a bit more. I’m laughing a lot more. And I’m dialing Amy and the rest of the Nine Lives team to talk about life outside of the office. It’s a good balance.

Even when I mess up I take a deep breadth and march forward. Yesterday was one such day, when I made some erroneous entries in our newly implemented marketing system. Mistakes happen… but I won’t make them twice.

Lesson for MSPs: Other than getting married and having kids, the most stressful time in my life was during the M&A negotiations. And ironically, I wasn’t even all that involved in the negotiations (here again, Amy had everything under control). Looking back, I would have found an outlet for my stress. The gym. Vacations. And of course: More laughs. That’s an FYI.

What I Skipped

You’ll notice that I didn’t mention any of the following items… because frankly, we got them right.

1. Financial Structure: Our M&A process was very thorough. We had good advisors (Foundation Partners) and Penton was a firm but fair negotiator. We found common ground each time we hit an impasse. I strongly recommend that MSPs exploring M&A deals find a good external advisor to help you get your house in order. Assuming the advice you get is sound, you’ll avoid numerous mistakes, delays, snafus and potential heartache.

2. Exit Strategy: During a potential M&A deal ask yourself the following question: Can you picture yourself working for the buyer? If not, is the buyer willing to let you exit pretty quickly? Answer that question to ensure you’re pursuing an M&A engagement for the right reasons. As I stated during the initial Penton-Nine Lives announcement: This wasn’t an exit strategy. It’s an acceleration strategy.

3. Culture Conflicts: Sure, the Nine Lives team has had to embrace business processes and other big-company realities. On the flip side, the Penton team has had to deal with my move-fast mentality, sometimes racing forward on something when all the details haven’t been worked out. But during our very first meeting with the Penton team, we knew we could be a cultural fit. Penton folks seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs. And when one employee doesn’t have an answer at their fingertips, they find us someone who does. Pretty impressive.

We’ve still got a lot of work to do as we seek to scale Nine Lives Media. But I’m still enjoying the journey. And now that the initial “M&A stress” is over, I’m back to enjoying what I love most: Blogging and engaging with our readers. And laughing each time the opportunity arises.

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]]> http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/08/small-business-mergers-and-acquisitions-5-lessons-learned/feed/ 1 Dimension Data Acquires on Xigo En Route to Becoming Full MSP http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/08/dimension-data-acquires-on-xigo-en-route-to-becoming-full-msp/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/08/dimension-data-acquires-on-xigo-en-route-to-becoming-full-msp/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:07:45 +0000 Nicholas Mukhar http://www.mspmentor.net/?p=29002 Dimension Data, an IT solutions and services provider, has acquired the Xigo, a telecom expense management (TEM) solution provider, as part of its broader plan to become a complete managed communications services provider. ]]> Dimension Data, an IT solutions and services provider, has acquired the Xigo, a telecom expense management (TEM) solution provider, as part of its broader plan to become a complete managed communications services provider.

According to Dimension Data Group Executive of Global Solutions Steve Joubert, Xigo gives Dimension Data the ability to offer its enterprise customers spend analysis, sourcing, provisioning and invoice processing capabilities. Dimension plans to focus its new TEM offering in the U.S., where Dimension is based and already has a large enterprise customer base. Over time, Dimension plans to expand its TEM offering to other regions.

Dimension has not detailed where it plans to expand its new TEM capabilities next, but we should probably look for such a solution expansion in places like Asia and Australia both regions in which Dimension recently expanded into by acquiring BlueFire and Netforce — two managed services providers that gave Dimension data a broader regional reach and a larger customer base.

“As clients evolve their networks to address globalization, mobile device proliferation, virtualization and the cloud, Xigo will be instrumental to help them implement the most cost-effective roadmaps are architectures for the internal and external communications,” Joubert said in a prepared statement.

There is certainly no  shortage of companies looking for TEM solutions these days as a way to have greater control over their expenses. Gartner Inc. predicts that the TEM market will reach $2 billion by 2015.

En route to becoming a full managed communications service provider, Dimension Data has also launched a managed video services offering to help its customers reduce operational costs and improve the overall user video experience. We’ll keep an eye out for Dimension’s next move toward its managed services goal.

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]]> http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/08/dimension-data-acquires-on-xigo-en-route-to-becoming-full-msp/feed/ 2 Ironic: How A High Valuation Can Destroy Your Company http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/06/ironic-how-a-high-valuation-can-destroy-your-company/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/06/ironic-how-a-high-valuation-can-destroy-your-company/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:35:10 +0000 Joe Panettieri http://www.mspmentor.net/?p=28964 How's this for ironic: Many of us in the high-tech sector work tirelessly to raise our company valuations. But sometimes lofty valuations and unreasonable expectations can destroy the very businesses we've worked so hard to build. Skeptical? Consider this cautionary tale involving Ziff Davis Enterprise, which spent a decade trying to overcome two unrealistic valuations (set in 1999 and 2007) that triggered lofty, insurmountable debt levels. ]]> How’s this for ironic: Many of us in the high-tech sector work tirelessly to raise our company valuations. But sometimes lofty valuations and unreasonable expectations can destroy the very businesses we’ve worked so hard to build. Skeptical? Consider this cautionary tale involving Ziff Davis Enterprise, which spent a decade trying to overcome two unrealistic valuations (set in 1999 and 2007) that triggered lofty, insurmountable debt levels.

As the old saying goes, we all want to buy low and sell high. But setting company valuations is an inexact science. Should we focus on current EBITDA? Future earnings projections? Past quarterly results?

Insight Venture Partners, for one, acquired Ziff Davis Enterprise for about $150 million to $160 million in 2007. That was roughly 1.5 to two times revenues at the time, friends have told me. GE Capital Corp. quietly provided financing for that transaction. Clearly, Insight Venture Partners was looking to ride the web content and IT marketing waves, snapping up well-known Ziff Davis Enterprise brands like eWeek and Channel Insider — plus an established events business. (Side note: I worked for Ziff Davis Enterprise’s predecessor from 2004 to 2006.)

The Numbers Didn’t Add Up

No doubt, Insight Venture Partners’ business plan going forward was to grow Ziff Davis Enterprise’s revenues. But ultimately, Insight Venture Partner’s financial models never really panned out. Print advertising continued to dry up. The 2008 credit crunch put the squeeze on IT spending. At some point around 2009 or 2010, I suspect, Insight Venture Partners essentially walked away from Ziff Davis Enterprise — leaving the debt holders (GE Capital?) to call the shots.

While the Ziff Davis Enterprise team worked overtime to reposition the company for digital media growth, ever extra cent Ziff Davis Enterprise made was earmarked for debt payments, I believe. The result: It was difficult for the remaining ZDE team to innovate on limited budgets.

Last week, the bankers called the final shot — selling Ziff Davis Enterprise’s assets to Quinstreet, a lead generation company — for an undisclosed sum. Quinstreet allegedly plans to cut 80 percent or more of the Ziff Davis Enterprise staff.

Sustainable Strategy?

So what’s the lesson here for MSPs, IT service providers and small business owners?

For those who are planning exit strategies: Be careful what you ask for. During the selling process, you may strive to make every dollar possible. But if the buyer opens his or her wallet too widely — perhaps pursuing unrealistic debt levels to complete the deal — you could risk harming your chances for a long-term earnout. And you could even hurt your industry legacy.

Sure, get every cent you deserve. But make sure the buyer can carry your legacy forward — perhaps even building your company into something bigger and better than you could have imagined.

Who Is Really to Blame?

Some Ziff Davis Enterprise veterans are upset about Quinstreet’s alleged plans to cut ZDE headcount and shutter some media brands. But here’s the reality: This news was a decade in the making. Ziff Davis Enterprise and its predecessor companies have spent more than a decade trying to overcome big debt from multiple M&A transactions.

The debt — amassed because of overly optimistic valuations in 1999 and 2007 — finally caught up with Ziff Davis Enterprise last week. Don’t let debt catch up to your company. Stick with your tried-and-true focus on cash flow and reliable recurring revenues.

Side note: Best wishes to the Ziff Davis Enterprise staff members — current and past — as they march forward with various career pursuits. Thank you for all of the education and guidance you’ve offered me for more than two decades.

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]]> http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/06/ironic-how-a-high-valuation-can-destroy-your-company/feed/ 0 BMC Acquires Numara, ManageEngine Responds http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/06/bmc-acquires-numara-manageengine-responds-managed-it-war/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/06/bmc-acquires-numara-manageengine-responds-managed-it-war/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:08:19 +0000 Nicholas Mukhar http://www.mspmentor.net/?p=28811 BMC Software's recent buyout of Numara Software, a SaaS company, has potential implications for the IT management market. And some potential rivals such as ManageEngine are responding with competitive statements. ]]> BMC Software‘s recent buyout of Numara Software, a SaaS company, has potential implications for the IT management market. And some potential rivals such as ManageEngine are responding with competitive statements.

In announcing the Numara’s acquisition, BMC said its product portfolio combined with Numara’s, will represent the most comprehensive set of SaaS and on-premise IT management solutions across all business segments. And in the following prepared statement, BMC President of Enterprise Service Management (ESM) Paul Avenant outlined what the acquisition means for current and prospective BMC customers:

“Now BMC can effectively serve the entire spectrum of organizations hungry for IT management with products that truly meet the specific needs of their businesses. Numara’s solutions, customer base and sales and channel partners will round out BMC’s market leadership in Business Service management (BSM), and focus on customer care and support.”

Some rivals are already responding to the move. In a blog post, ManageEngine President Raj Sabhlok took shots at the BMC-Numara combo. ManageEngine also launched a new program, inviting current Numara customers to switch to ManageEngine’s ServiceDesk Plus help desk software solution for free for an entire year. In order to receive the free, one year license, Numara customers have to show proof that they have purchased licenses for either Numara Track-It! or Numara FootPrints. The offer is valid until March 31, 2012.

It’s anyone’s guess how this most recent IT management feud will play out. Both BMC and ManageEngine are claiming the acquisition is a good sign for their businesses, as it opens new marketing opportunities. We do know that for the time being, BMC has increased its customer base and expanded its channel reach by taking over Numara’s current channel partnerships. Time will tel if ManageEngine can stop that momentum with its latest effort to steer both BMC and Numara customers toward ServiceDesk Plus.

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]]> http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/06/bmc-acquires-numara-manageengine-responds-managed-it-war/feed/ 0 SolarWinds Acquires EminentWare for Patch Management Software http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/02/solarwinds-acquires-eminentware-for-patch-management-software/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/02/solarwinds-acquires-eminentware-for-patch-management-software/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:46:24 +0000 Nicholas Mukhar http://www.mspmentor.net/?p=28756 SolarWinds, the IT management software provider, has acquired EminentWare, a Windows server and workstation patch management software provider. SolarWinds VP of Network Management Sanjay Castelino offered MSPmentor some insights on where the company is heading next. ]]> SolarWinds, the IT management software provider, has acquired EminentWare, a Windows server and workstation patch management software provider. SolarWinds VP of Network Management Sanjay Castelino offered MSPmentor some insights on where the company is heading next.

SolarWinds will use EminentWare’s Windows server and workstation patch management solutions to compliment its existing products. The deal comes roughly one month after SolarWinds acquired DameWare Development, which offers remote management software.

Update on User Device Tracker

The EminentWare acquisition comes weeks after SolarWinds released version 2.0 of its User Device Tracker.

“The first version was only designed to identify devices entering company networks. Version 2.0 lets you match specific user information to devices so that you can tell who is doing what with which device,” Castelino explained. “We don’t see a ton of competition for device tracker on the market today.”

SolarWinds and MSPs

But Castelino said that mobile devices are just a piece of the IT puzzle. The issue is being able to manage a broader set of IT-connected devices. It’s an issue that managed IT providers have been struggling with, which is why SolarWinds developed its MSP Program back in November 2011.

“They (MSPs) have been buying our product for years,” Castelino said. “Then they started saying that they would like to market themselves with the SolarWinds brand. So we developed an MSP program to give them tools to help drive their businesses.”

Those tools include marketing materials and instructions on how to best deploy SolarWinds’ technology, among other tools.

“We created the program to let MSPs work with us more easily,” Castelino continued. “They [MSPs] are an important part of our business and face unique challenges today.” Some of the challenges Castelino mentioned included system management and patch management issues. Hence, SolarWinds’ acquisition of EminentWare.

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]]> http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/02/solarwinds-acquires-eminentware-for-patch-management-software/feed/ 0 Managed Services Merger: Aldridge and Rafte Target Texas http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/02/managed-services-merger-aldridge-raft-co-combine-it-support/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/02/managed-services-merger-aldridge-raft-co-combine-it-support/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:34:45 +0000 Nicholas Mukhar http://www.mspmentor.net/?p=28748 The Aldridge Company, a technology and cloud integrator for SMBs, has merged with Rafte & Company, a business and technology consulting firm, to offer a more comprehensive IT support offering. Financial terms were not disclosed. Here's a little more background on both Texas-based companies, as well as what the merger means for both Aldridge and Rafte business customers. ]]> Managed Services MergerThe Aldridge Company, a technology and cloud integrator for SMBs, has merged with Rafte & Company, a business and technology consulting firm, to offer a more comprehensive IT support offering. Financial terms were not disclosed. Here’s a little more background on both Texas-based companies, as well as what the merger means for both Aldridge and Rafte business customers.

Rafte & Company mainly serves law firms, non profits and professional services companies looking to design and integrate new business and technology strategies into their existing working environments. Those strategies include consulting, remote collaboration solutions, document management software support and legal software support. Rafte will now combine its specific vertical expertise with The Aldridge Company’s technology expertise and focus on helping customers implement more efficient business processes.

Rafte and Aldridge plan to offer both SMB and vertical-specific customer bases new managed services like technology and work process evaluations, security and disaster recovery audits, cloud hosting, and an entirely new suite of business consulting services.

“After working closely with Rafte & Company on numerous projects during the past three years, it became clear that we could accomplish more and deliver more value to our customers by combining our IT support services than we could separately,” The Aldridge Company Chief Operating Officer (COO) Patrick Wiley said in a prepared statement.

The MSP market in Texas is quickly becoming one of the more competitive managed services markets in the country. We’ll keep an eye on how well the new Aldridge-Rafte combo competes against other MSPs making headlines in the Lone Star State like White Glove Technologies,  VerityThree, Network Elites, and others.

Tracking Managed Services Provider Mergers and Acquisitions

Meanwhile, here’s an updated list of MSP mergers and acquisitions that MSPmentor has been tracking.

 

 

 

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]]> http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/02/02/managed-services-merger-aldridge-raft-co-combine-it-support/feed/ 0 Managed Video Services Acquisition: AVI-SPL Buys Iformata http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/01/27/managed-services-acquisition-avi-spl-acquires-iformata/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/01/27/managed-services-acquisition-avi-spl-acquires-iformata/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:58:01 +0000 Nicholas Mukhar http://www.mspmentor.net/?p=28508 AVI-SPL, a video communications provider, has acquired Iformata Communications LLC, a managed video services provider. Under the terms of the deal, AVI-SPLwill take over Iformata's Video Network Operations Center (VNOC) business and its VNOC Symphony management platform. Overall, AVI-SPL is adding a suite of end-to-end automation services that includes call setup, intelligent framing, automated monitoring and event correlation, as well as a new  managed conferencing offering. ]]> AVI-SPL, a video communications provider, has acquired Iformata Communications LLC, a managed video services provider. Under the terms of the deal, AVI-SPLwill take over Iformata’s Video Network Operations Center (VNOC) business and its VNOC Symphony management platform. Overall, AVI-SPL is adding a suite of end-to-end automation services that includes call setup, intelligent framing, automated monitoring and event correlation, as well as a new  managed conferencing offering.

The acquisition builds on AVI-SPL’s strategy, launched in 2009, to become a big-time player in the video communications and managed video services sector. Since the plan was enacted, AVI-SPL has steadily grown its video communications business, which reached $200 million in revenue in 2011.

According to AVI-SPL CEO John Zettel, the company now includes video services in over 50 percent of its projects, and the Iformata acquisition solidifies AVI-SPL’s commitment to further adding video communication services to its managed services offering.

Meanwhile, Iformata has been in business since 2004. Its customer portfolio includes global enterprise companies and equipment manufacturers, all of which will now be served by AVI-SPL.

“With the acquisition of Iformata, we become one of the only video solutions providers who can truly provide ever aspect of the video communications experience,” AVI-SPL Executive VP of Video and Unified Communication Mike Brandofino said in a prepared statement.

 

 

 

 

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]]> http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/01/27/managed-services-acquisition-avi-spl-acquires-iformata/feed/ 0 Net Optics Acquisitions Target Network Monitoring, Analysis http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/01/24/net-optics-acquisitions-to-provide-more-network-analysis/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/01/24/net-optics-acquisitions-to-provide-more-network-analysis/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:20:08 +0000 Nicholas Mukhar http://www.mspmentor.net/?p=28298 Net Optics, which develops network monitoring solutions, has made two acquisitions in an attempt to expand its global reach and provide its customers deeper and more insightful network reports. Specifically, Net Optics acquired TripleLayer (an Australian technology distributor) and TripleLayer's sister company nMetrics (a network and application software provider). ]]> Net Optics, which develops network monitoring solutions, has made two acquisitions in an attempt to expand its global reach and provide its customers deeper and more insightful network reports. Specifically, Net Optics acquired TripleLayer (an Australian technology distributor) and TripleLayer’s sister company nMetrics (a network and application software provider).

“Our vision with this acquisition was to help our customers increase network access and consolidate tools to achieve a monitoring architecture that delivers end-to-end visibility and lower cost,” Net Optics CEO Bob Shaw said in a prepared statement. “We also wanted to provide our customers an opportunity to scale their overall network performance and security.”

Net Optics isn’t wasting anytime releasing its first integrated solution, appTap, designed specifically for remote and branch business offices. According to Net Optics, appTap combines “total network visibility” with the insight, stats and analysis capabilities businesses need to fully understand the ins and outs of their network infrastructures.

Apparently, Net Optics is building the foundation for a new suite of monitoring solutions — featuring application performance monitoring capabilities, diagnostics that support security and service level agreements (SLAs).

Net Optics also gains TripleLayer Founders David Britt and Steven Urquhart, along with the company’s full staff. Britt will head production, design and innovation for new products, while Urquhart will lead Net Optics’ APAC sales team.

Net Optics didn’t say specifically where it plans to expand geographically, though Australia is the obvious first target given TripleLayer’s existing footprint.

 

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]]> http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/01/24/net-optics-acquisitions-to-provide-more-network-analysis/feed/ 0 Photizo Acquires Lyra: Managed Document Services Research http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/01/11/photizo-acquires-lyra-managed-document-services-research/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2012/01/11/photizo-acquires-lyra-managed-document-services-research/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:02:39 +0000 Nicholas Mukhar http://www.mspmentor.net/?p=27914 Photizo Group, a managed print services research and consulting firm, has acquired Lyra Research, a research and consulting company that has strong ties to the international imaging industry. ]]> Photizo Group, a managed print services research and consulting firm, has acquired Lyra Research, a research and consulting company that has strong ties to the international imaging industry.

This is the latest in a growing list of acquisitions within the managed services market since since the start of 2012. Financial terms of the Photizo Group-Lyra deal were not disclosed.

The deal seems to reinforce MSPmentor’s belief that the managed document services (MDS) and managed print services (MPS) sectors are sure to ramp up in 2012. And when it does, Photizo Group is preparing itself to be the leader in MDS and managed print services MPS research, even as Garner Inc. and International Data Corp. (IDC) release their own research on the international state of MDS.

Photizo Group has had its research fingerprints all over the MPS and MDS markets even before the sector recently caught fire. The research and consulting firm hosts MPS conferences internationally and releases numerous MDS research documents.

But one of Photizo’s recently released research studies offers a little insight into this recent Lyra acquisition, if you read between the lines. It’s entitled 2011 European MPS Market and Roadmap, and it included two key predictions relevant to the company’s Lyra Research acquisition.

  1. The European MPS market will be the largest MPS Market by 2013, based on revenue size.
  2. The European MPS market is one of the most diverse and fragmented regions for the imaging industry.

The first is significant because Lyra Research has a physical presence in five different international regions: the United States, Japan, Korea, China and, yes, Europe. And if you’ve been keeping up you know that the second is significant because Lyra is an established player in the imaging industry and can help make analytical sense of Europe’s supposed fragmented and diverse MPS market.

As far as the logistics of the acquisition, both will keep their own brands and individual conferences that they host intact through at least 2012. Photizo and Lyra plan to evaluate how to potentially combine their events in 2013.

Photizo Group has been striving to further accelerate its growth over the past two years. The company raised $1.73 million in investment funding from Meritus Ventures to add more staff and expand its global coverage of MDS back in July 2010, even when most managed services providers (MSPs) were still not buying into MDS.

In fact, only 20 percent of  the top MSPs were offering managed print services at the time, according to our MSPmentor 100 Survey. Today, that figure is closer to 30 percent.

So where does Photizo go from here? Earlier this month Photizo projected that India will have the fastest growing MPS market in 2012, followed by Brazil’s MPS market — which the research firm projects will grow by 49 percent annually through 2014. My best guess is to look for Photizo to use more of its investment dollars to either expand its research into one of these two regions or into one of the other regions in which Lyra has an established, physical presence.

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