CentriLogic has acquired Advanced Knowledge Networks (AKN), the companies confirmed today. The deal essentially blends managed hosting, cloud, co-location, WAN services and managed IT services into a "one-stop shop for all IT outsourcing requirements," the two companies said. The business combo is the latest in a flurry of M&A transactions across the IT channel.CentriLogic has 10 interconnected data centers throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and recently achieved five-year revenue growth of 1,005%, the company claims. Of course that's an impressive growth rate, but ChannelE2E is seeking three points of clarification: We don't know the company's actual revenue figures, we don't know if the growth was mostly organic, and we don't know if the company is profitable. But we'll be sure to ask those questions and others during an interview with CentriLogic CEO Robert Offley soon.Updated Nov, 20, 3:00 p.m. ER: See CentriLogic CEO Interview Here.
The Midmarket MSP
Monika RokAKN, meanwhile, offers managed IT solutions to mid-market and large enterprises in Canada. The company has "achieved profitable and consistent year-over-year revenue growth and has extended its footprint Canada-wide with locations in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Halifax," the two companies indicated.How did the two companies find each other for a potential M&A deal? Here's a clue: AKN has leveraged CentriLogic's data center facilities for several years, and the two companies have partnered on customer deployments since around 2012, according to Monica Rok, president of AKN.
MSPs, VARs, Mergers and Acquisitions
Merger and acquisition deals have been especially active across the IT channel in recent weeks. The overall race is on to gain economies of scale, more technical know-how, and key regional footprints. And the deals haven't been limited to MSPs.Among the examples to note:
Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.
What type of cloud market share do Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform each hold -- and what are the implications for the Top 250 Public Cloud MSPs.
Much like all service providers are adding cybersecurity, MSPs and telecom service provider offerings are converging, and PSA adoption is key to their success.
