2006 Solution Provider Acquisitions: A Roundup

By , CRN 3:00 PM EST Fri. Aug. 18, 2006

2006 proved to be a busy year for mergers and acquisitions among VARs, integrators, service providers and other channel players hungry for swift growth. Here's a tally of some of the key deals.

VENDOR-SPECIFIC VAR MERGERS--Buying a peer to get scale
•Luminate/Stonebridge-Sun ploy
•Sigma/SSI-Sun ploy
•Net@Work/Eagle Consulting-Sage play

• Hungry For Solutions
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• 2006 Could Be A Record Year For Deals

INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC VAR MERGERS--Buying a peer to get scale
•Fishnet/True North (security)
•Fishnet/Siegeworks (security)
•MTI/Collective (storage)
•Eschelon Telecom/Mountain Technology (telecom)
•AmeriVault/Capitalbackup (storage)

OTHER VAR MERGERS--For scale or expertise
•GreenPages/TenCorp.--Growth and scale
•TIGNetwork Plus--Growth
•Logalis/Alliance Consulting-Consulting

MSP PLAYS--To add or beefing upp MSP capabilities
•Iomega/CSI--To add MSP offering for its worldwide SMB VARs
•Incentra/NST--To add security expertise to its managed services offerings
•Perimeter/ANE--To add security expertise to its MSP business
•Perimeter/Breakwater--To add security expertise to its MSP business
•Perimeter/Red Cliff--To add security expertise to its MSP business
•Wipro/cMango--To add BMC expertise to its MSP business
•Voyss/Lan-Com--Bringing together telecom and data for an MSP play

VENDOR PLAYS--Vendors looking to solution providers to beef up their skills or reach
•EMC/Interlink--To add Microsoft expertise
•EMC/Internosis-To add Microsoft expertise
•Microsoft/ProClarify-To add business intelligence ISV expertise
•Xerox/Amici-To get closer to market
•Canon/Uinta-To get closer to market
•Toshiba/Copy Machines-To get closer to market
•Toshiba/Gold Coast-To get closer to market

INVESTOR PLAYS--Seeing opportunity to invest in the channel
•Clarey/Phoenix Computer

ISV PLAYS--Beefing up specific software skills
•Domin-B/Logicbuilt--To add property management software expertise
•Domin-B/PMAS--To add property management software expertise
•Domin-B/American Computer Software--To add property management software expertise

DISTRIBUTION ACQUISTIONS
•Seneca Data/CSI--Custom system
•Arrow/Skydata--To expand business into Canada

U.S. CHANNEL PLAYERS EXPANDING OVERSEAS
•Ingres/Thinking instruments--To open European channel
•NSI Software/Sunbelt--To add European distribution capabilities

ACQUISTIONS THAT FELL THROUGH
•Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC)--Explored being acquired, then cancelled
•NWM/NetTeks--Possible Cisco play scuttled at last minute

*Through mid-August
Note: List may not be complete
Source: CRN Research