Mergers and Acquisitions, Mergers and Acquisitions

Fujitsu Acquires Australian Microsoft Partner oobe

Fujitsu Australia has acquired Australian Microsoft specialist oobe. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This is technology M&A deal number 145 that ChannelE2E has covered so far in 2022. See more than 1,000 technology M&A deals for 2022, 2021, and 2020 listed here.

Fujitsu Australia Acquires Microsoft Partner oobe

The acquisition will help both companies grow in the Australian market and worldwide and extend digital transformation and digital experience solutions to a larger customer base, according to a statement from Fujitsu. This is Fujitsu Australia's second acquisition in less than 12 months following the acquisition of data and AI-consultancy Versor, and is part of Fujitsu’s plan to grow through M&A. oobe’s expertise and experience as a Microsoft cloud, modern workplace and security provider will help the two companies accelerate customers’ digital transformation journeys, according to Fujitsu.

The oobe acquisition also seems to tie into Fujitsu's bet on Microsoft Azure in 2018 when the company shut down its public OpenStack cloud business outside of Japan, as oobe's offerings center around Microsoft 365 and Azure migration and data center solutions.

Founded in 2007, oobe is based in Canberra and also has offices in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney as well as in Wellington, New Zealand. The company's services include end-user computing, applications, data, cloud and cybersecurity with a focus on Microsoft and Azure. One major focus will be on government customers, according to Fujitsu, because of both firms’ combined expertise and mature public sector and defense practices. The acquisition will result in the local job creation across Australia through recently won contracts by both organizations, Fujitsu said, but no specific number was disclosed.

oobe will continue to operate as a standalone company; re-branded as ‘oobe, a Fujitsu company’ under CEO Stuart Kilduff, who will become a member of the Fujitsu Australia executive leadership team, Fujitsu said. Integration of the companies’ back-end systems will occur over time.

Fujitsu Acquires oobe: Executive Insight

Graeme Beardsell, CEO, Fujitsu Australia
Graeme Beardsell, CEO, Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand

Graeme Beardsell, CEO, Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand, said,

“I’m delighted to welcome oobe into the Fujitsu family. oobe has an impressive track record with 15 years of experience in developing transformational solutions for government and critical infrastructure at protected-level status. Together, Fujitsu and oobe look forward to accelerating our customers’ digital transformations, delivered through our combined deep-industry experience and specialist teams.”

Stuart Kilduff, CEO, oobe, said,

"We’re excited to be joining a global digital transformation company like Fujitsu, with values that strongly align with our own. Through the acquisition, we are gaining the ability to drive greater market impact at significant scale, whilst also retaining our identity as a new part of the Fujitsu Oceania family. We’re proud to be part of the new direction and vision for our brand, and look forward to taking our consulting, services, and solutions to the next level, proudly exporting Australian technology to the world.”

Sharon Florentine

Sharon is a master technology storyteller and editor with omnichannel experience: books and print magazines, digital, webcast, blogging, podcast, live events and video and associated brand-specific social media content. From 1999 to 2003, she acquired and edited technology books and certification exam prep guides.

After a year spent in publicity and editorial at mass-market book publishers, she returned to tech publishing and, since 2004, explored B2C and B2B news, issues and trends in consumer, lifestyle, software, software development, AI, ML, networks, big data, hardware, security, storage, cloud, equity, inclusion, diversity, women in tech, career development, IT management, H-1B visa issues and immigration, education, training and learning.

Her previous role was as the managing editor at Techstrong Group in charge of Cloud Native Now, DevOps.com, Security Boulevard and Techstrong ITSM and their brand-specific social media. She currently serves as editorial director for CyberRisk Alliance’s channel brands, ChannelE2E and MSSP Alert and acting editorial director for SC Media UK. Drop me a note and let’s talk!

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