Arlington, Virginia-based systems integrator By Light Professional IT Services has acquired Cabot, Arkansas’ cyber training services contractor Metova Federal. Terms of the deal were not released.
This is the company’s third acquisition since the company was acquired by private equity firm Sagewind Capital in 2017. New York City-based Sagewind tends to invest in companies with strong roots in the defense industry. By Light last acquired Phacil, a government-focused technology services contractor, in March 2019. The company bought Axom Technologies a little over a year ago.
Bob Donahue, CEO and founder of By Light, commented on the deal:
“We are thrilled to combine Metova Federal’s proven track record as a high-end, mission-critical cyber range and cyber services provider with By Light’s own strong cyber and intel practice. This acquisition will allow us to expand and diversify our cyber offering to better serve our customers.”
Founded in 2011, Metova Federal provides IT services to more than 150 organizations “as a tailored training solution provider.” The firm specializes in providing technology services and support, software development services, system and network engineering and administration, infrastructure design and installation, instructor-led and distributed training support. The company has been positioning itself as a premier solutions provider for the Department of Defense, other federal agencies, and commercial industry, according to its website.
By Light also announced the appointment of John Wilcox to Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. Wilcox previously served as Chief Information Officer/J6 for the US Special Operations Command. As part of his new responsibilities, Wilcox will focus on developing new capabilities and solutions for the company’s war-fighting customers, By Light said in a prepared statement.
Government IT M&A
Governmental M&A deals have been popular over the last year. Of the deals ChannelE2E has tracked:
- January 2019: Government contractor CACI International acquired LGS Innovations and Mastodon Design for a combined $975 million.
- January 2019: Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), America’s largest military shipbuilder, acquired Fulcrum IT Services & G2 Inc. for government technology consulting & cybersecurity expertise.
- January 2019: Government IT services provider Concept Plus, a key Oracle partner, acquired Dougherty & Associates (DAI Solutions), a management consulting firm headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
- November 2018: Private equity-backed EverWatch acquired Dynamic Engineering Solutions (DES), an IT consulting firm that provides software and systems engineering, cloud and systems administration to government agencies. Financial terms were not disclosed.
- September 2018: Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) acquired rival Engility for $2.5 billion in stock. The deal created a $6.5 billion IT consulting and professional services firm focused on government agencies.
- May 2018: SAP National Security Services (SAP NS2) acquired government IT systems integrator Technology Management Associates (TMA).
- February 2018: General Dynamics acquired government IT contractor CSRA for $9.6 billion, making it the number two provider of federal IT services.
