Storage VAR GlassHouse Expands To UK

Officials of GlassHouse, which provides storage consultation and services to enterprise clients, this week said the Framingham, Mass.-based company will pay an undisclosed sum in a stock deal for Source Consulting and Sagitta Performance Systems.

Mark Shirman, president and CEO of GlassHouse, said the two U.K. firms were recently in discussions to merge into the U.K.'s largest storage consulting company when GlassHouse contacted them. As part of the acquisition by GlassHouse, the two will merge and be known as GlassHouse U.K., he said.

"We originally planned to go grow into the U.K. by the end of the year organically," Shirman said. "This was an opportunity that came up, and we acted on it."

Both Source and Sagitta are about the same size, and are profitable, said Shirman. Source focuses on services to legal, financial services and insurance companies, while Sagitta's main expertise is in the telco, media and entertainment, and retail areas. Unlike GlassHouse, the two also sell hardware and software, he said.

As a result of the deal, expected to close in the next few weeks, GlassHouse will grow its customer base to about 550 clients, up from today's 250, Shirman said. The new company will have a headcount of 220 people. No layoffs are expected, he said. "This is not about cost containment, but about market expansion," he said.