Mergers and Acquisitions, MSP

MSP Acquisition: A Closer Look at Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office Buyout of PDS

Atlantic, Tomorrow's Office has added an IT services provider to its portfolio. The New York-based MSP has acquired Praxis Data Systems (PDS) for an undisclosed sum.

PDS now will provide Atlantic's collection of business technology services to customers, including:

  • Managed print services (MPS).
  • Imaging office technology and services.
  • Production printing systems.
  • Managed IT services.
  • Cloud services.
  • Private cloud services.
  • Managed document services.
  • Professional services.

"We're excited about the natural synergies between the two companies and the compelling value proposition this creates for today's value-driven IT leaders" PDS President Harry Srolovitz said in a press release. "We've always admired Atlantic's ability to provide people, systems and technologies on a larger scale, and now we can do the same as part of the Atlantic family."

What Does the PDS Acquisition Mean for Atlantic?

Atlantic indicated the PDS acquisition will provide the company with 20 additional IT professionals and expanded IT service resources throughout Greater Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

"Joining forces is an immediate win for both organizations and most importantly – our customers in the Greater Philadelphia and Delaware Valley market," Atlantic President Larry Weiss said in a prepared statement.

Atlantic has grown from a five-person operation in 1959 to a 300-employee corporation today. It serves as an office technology and IT solutions company that provides:

  • Imaging.
  • IT support.
  • Document management.
  • Managed services.

Atlantic currently supports over 20,000 organizations in New York City's metropolitan area, Greater Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

Meanwhile, the PDS acquisition may help Atlantic further extend its reach in the MPS market.

A Closer Look at the MPS Market

Several technology market research firms have indicated the MPS market could grow rapidly over the next few years.

Orbis Research has predicted the MPS market will expand at a compound annual growth rate of 10.1 percent between 2014 and 2019. Comparatively, Transparency Market Research has projected global MPS market revenue will increase from $26.18 billion in 2015 to $94.97 billion by 2024.

With PDS at its disposal, Atlantic may be better equipped than other MSPs to capitalize on the MPS market.

Many globally recognized brands appear interested in the MPS market.

For example, Xerox is already making headway in the MPS market. The international document solutions and services provider in July released multiple MPS tools, including:

  • MPS application programming interface (API) to help partners integrate billing and other business operations with Xerox.
  • Xerox Digital Alternatives desktop and mobile assistant technology that automates paper-based workflows.
  • An e-commerce storefront that allows partners to order and renew assessment tools and services to analyze a company's IT infrastructure and develop and sell a smart MPS program.

Transparency pointed out channel partners and core MPS providers accounted for the largest share of the total MPS market in 2015. The market research firm also stated that many leading MPS vendors are turning to channel partners to expand their customer base and target "untapped opportunities."

Complete M&A Coverage: Track all VAR, MSP and CSP mergers and acquisitions by visiting the ChannelE2E Milestones section daily. Also, check out ChannelE2E’s Top 100 Mergers & Acquisitions across the IT channel, 2017 edition.

Dan Kobialka

Dan Kobialka is senior contributing editor, MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E. He covers IT security, IT service provider business strategies and partner programs. Dan holds a M.A. in Print and Multimedia Journalism from Emerson College and a B.A. in English from Bridgewater State University. In his free time, Dan enjoys jogging, traveling, playing sports, touring breweries and watching football.