One of the questions that’s been tossed around in the tech space throughout the pandemic is whether this is a good time to be buying companies. Certainly, that depends on the two companies but, if the past year has taught us anything, it’s that business leaders have to be smart and be prepared for anything.
With that in mind, managed services provider BCM One just announced it has acquired SkySwitch. There are several reasons there may actually not have been a smarter time for managed services provider BCM One to buy channel-only white-label UCaaS platform provider SkySwitch.
Digital Transformation and Cloud Adoption
Companies have been migrating to the cloud for years now, including replacing their legacy communications solutions with new, more flexible and resilient cloud-based alternatives. Just about every research firm in the tech space sees the space continuing to grow for the foreseeable future due to the benefits of UCaaS combined with the need to replace outdated legacy systems.
Certainly, there’s nothing good about the pandemic that engulfed the world in March of 2020. Lockdowns across the globe sent businesses into panic mode, having to restructure their operations and adopt remote work models almost overnight. It forced many companies to revise their priorities and move up digital transformation and cloud projects to accommodate their new work environments. Communications and collaboration services were among the most critical, as employees needed the tools to engage with customers, partners, and colleagues, all of whom were also working remotely.
That said, this only accelerated trends that were already happening and form the foundation for why this move by BCM One was a smart more, with our without the pandemic. COVID-19 merely helped highlight the need for the UCaaS and networking solutions BCM One offers.
Companies that have struggled to adjust to the circumstances of 2020 – and that means most of them – have had to learn how to overcome obstacles to operational resiliency posed by unexpected situations. They have also had to get a better handle on technologies, especially those that enable resiliency and business continuity. In many cases, it’s meant an acceleration of cloud and digital transformation strategies and the adoption of new communications tools to support remote workforces.
If the year we’ve just left in the rear-view mirror is any indication, businesses have finally started to get smart about their communications and the benefits of a flexible, cloud-based communications solution that allows them to operate from anywhere and support a variety of workforce strategies, both now and in the future.
Demand for Managed Services
The increased demand for cloud-based tools coincides with a surge in demand for managed services – a trend that began well before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But, with the new needs due to the transition to remote working, MSPs have been presented with a tremendous opportunity as IT teams struggle to manage networks, remote workers, applications and services, and devices, not to mention security.
In fact, SkySwitch, which sells entirely through the channel, is coming off a record-setting sales month in December as companies furiously tried to bring their communications systems in line with the “new normal.”
“What we’ve proven in the SkySwitch and BCM One models is both our business are truly pandemic-proof,” said SkySwitch VP of Sales Jayson Jones. “
BCM One had already built a portfolio of communications and network solutions, but the pandemic increased the stakes. Its partners – MSPs, VARs. ISPs, WISPs, etc. – are seeing increased demand for communications and network solutions that can support the “new normal” at a time when the MSP space, in particular, has become highly competitive and providers are looking for strategic ways to differentiate themselves and drive new revenue streams.
Complementary Platforms
The SkySwitch platform is a perfect complement to BCM One’s existing portfolio of managed communications and network services, equipping its partners with communications solutions to fit any size company. Its own managed UC platform (UCaaS one) came through the company’s acquisition of Arena One back in December 2019 and gave it a Cisco/BroadSoft solution for the enterprise market.
With the addition of SkySwitch, BCM One broadens its portfolio by adding a well-developed UCaaS solution that allows its MSP and other channel partners to support the SMB spaces equally well. Organizationally, SkySwitch will fall under BCM One’s Next Generation Services offerings, led by mark Amick, who feels SkySwitch is exactly what the portfolio needed.
BCM One’s VP of Marketing Paula Como Kauth added, “This truly gives us a full UCaaS portfolio to offer the market, from the enterprise down to smaller SMBs.”
Market-Ready Solution
One of the keys is the success SkySwitch has shown over the past few years. It has put considerable time and effort into developing its platform and building partnerships, giving BCM One a white label solution that can contribute to the revenue stream immediately. There are no plans to change anything operationally and undo any of that progress. Rather, BCM One is looking to build off of SkySwitch’s success by combining two like-minded businesses with similar customer- and channel-centric models.
“There are amazing synergies and BCM One has built an amazing culture of customer service and is in it for the long haul,” said Jones. “We didn’t want to get into a situation where what we’ve built gets torn down. We have to work together for success, especially during current conditions, and that’s exactly what we get with BCM One.”
Future Opportunities
That said, while the addition of SkySwitch fills a gap in the BCM One portfolio, that doesn’t mean there aren’t smaller gaps in the individual solutions. In fact, Jones recognizes that every platform on the market has gaps. But, with the success of BCM One, its history of acquiring companies with market-proven solutions and strong growth trajectories, and the financial backing of Thompson Street Capital Partners, BCM One has the resources to continue to enhance its offerings as the market and customer needs evolve.
“Nobody has a 100% comprehensive platform,” he said. “But one of the huge advantages of being part of BCM One is that, where there are gaps, we will be able to continue to fill them.”
So, does the timing make sense? Absolutely. With or without the coronavirus, the stage was set for the company to make the move to add another piece to its overall offering. There’s nothing good about the pandemic but, business has to continue, and it certainly helped built additional momentum in the UCaaS space, which is a coincidence that will benefit BCM One. You could even say the pandemic is the sixth reason the timing was perfect.
Edited by
Erik Linask
