GlassHouse Makes Fourth Storage Consultant Acquisition Since June

GlassHouse Technologies, a global provider of storage consulting and services, expanded its reach with its acquisition of the services business of another solution provider, but passed on its storage hardware reselling operations.

Under the terms of the acquisition, announced Wednesday, Framingham, Mass.-based GlassHouse will acquire the consulting services portion of Wakefield, Mass.-based Fortified Technologies. Financial details were not disclosed.

Mark Sullivan, who founded Fortified in 2003 and served as its president after a previous stint as the national general manager of Hewlett-Packard's storage sales operations, will join GlassHouse as director of New England regional sales. Four other Fortified personnel will also join GlassHouse.

Jay Seaton, chief marketing officer at GlassHouse, said his company became interested in Fortified's consulting business because of similar skill sets and expertise and because, like GlassHouse, it focuses on nonvendor-specific services.

"We focus on the right methodologies, practices and procedures, and not on specific vendors," Seaton said.

GlassHouse did not acquire all of Fortified, however. Part of Fortified's business was the reselling of storage equipment, but those operations were sold to another solution provider.

"We're not interested in picking up the reselling business from any partners," Seaton said. "We feel it would compromise our independence. ... Large enterprise clients require an independent view, and with a reseller business, we can't maintain that independent view."

Fortified is the fourth acquisition for GlassHouse since last June, when it bought San Diego-based The Storage Group and two U.K.-based storage consultants. Seaton said his company currently has no plans to acquire other solution providers. "We are keeping our eyes open," he said. "But we're not on an acquisition path."

GlassHouse, founded in August 2001, currently has between 260 and 270 employees.

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