Lately MSP Today has been covering big MSP acquisitions, but there is plenty of action on a more local level. Testament to that is the recent buy by Infinity Network Solutions of Georgia-based Giddens Network Services.
Infinity is an IT service provider that handles largely SMBs and public sector clients. Giddens, meanwhile, provides network and computing infrastructure for government and commercial markets, seemingly a perfect fit.
The combined operation will be driven by the Infinity boss, CEO Robert Betzel.
The deal is aimed at the local Georgia market.
Image via Shutterstock
“This acquisition further strengthens our presence in the Covington and northeast Georgia marketplace,” said Betzel. “We see the integration of Giddens Network Services into our organization as a logical step in the growth of Infinity.”
Giddens is pretty mature as far as IT service providers go, having started in 1995.
Infinity didn’t exactly buy Giddens lock, stock and barrel, as Giddens Software Systems will carry on as an independent operation.
This deal is a little ripple in a massive pond of MSP acquisitions.
MSP Deals Abound
The MSP space has been pure insanity as far as buyouts go, so much so that MSP Today can barely keep pace.
One recent deal involves WordPress MSPs. In fact, the platform is so popular there are now MSPs that specialize in supporting WordPress. And there are so many MSPs that specialize in supporting WordPress that they are starting to buy each other.
Well, there is at least one such acquisition as the four-year-old Page.ly (yup, that’s how they spell it!), which claims to be the first WordPress managed hoster, is buying the year-old BlogDroid.
BlogDroid bloggers will be moved over to the Page.ly service (and they’ll have to figure out how to spell the darn name!), but the domain names should all survive and be managed by the new owners.
Earthlink Snaps Up CenterBeam
Earthink may have lost gobs of money last quarter, but that didn’t stop it from shelling out $22 million to buy MSP CenterBeam.
While Earthlink was making its move, Accumuli was accumulating MSP Signify Solutions, which does two-factor authentication (2FA). And here’s a weird little fact. Both acquired MSPs are 13 years old.
Accumuli Accumulates Signify
MSPs buyouts keep on accumulating as Accumuli snapped up Signify Solutions, a managed provider focused on two-factor authentication (2FA).
2FA is far, far more secure than even strong, complex passwords, which can still be cracked through brute force.
OnX Works Out Worknet Arrangement
OnX Enterprise Solutions bought its way deeper into both the disaster recovery and managed hosting markets by snapping up Worknet, which also has remote monitoring and management (RMM).
OnX also bought itself a fair bit of capacity as Worknet totes along two SSAE 16 data centers.
OnX has already mostly digested Worknet, having based much of its new OnX Managed Services business on it. This new unit is a blending on existing OnX services and the ones acquired through Worknet.
RMM Action Intensifies
If you follow the MSP market, you may well be sick of all the action in the remote monitoring and management (RMM) space. It’s been insane. Between partnerships, new services, marketing FUD and a bevy of acquisitions, nary a day goes by when MSP Today isn’t called on to cover something big that is RMM related. Here is the basic rundown.
AVG Buys RMM
Recently consumer security powerhouse AVG, which is also an MSP force, bought LPI Level Platforms, a Canadian RMM maker. This way AVG reckons it can offer MSP an integrated solution where the client security is monitored and managed remotely. Basically it creates a more turnkey managed security service.
SolarWindows Blows into RMM Town with N-able Buy
SolarWinds first stirred this whole pot when it bought RMM software mainstay N-able for $120 million.
The buyer quickly tweaked the branding of the buyee, which will heretofore be known as N-able by SolarWinds. N-able will maintain its own Web site, marketing and sales and keep the essence of its brand.
The 13-year-old N-able brings with it a roster of some 2,600 MSPs that rely on its remote monitoring and management (RMM) tool N-Central.
Kaseya Bought Out
Just this week there was major news on the Kaseya front. If you read the Kaseya press release, investment firm Insight Venture Partners made a “significant” investment in the remote monitoring and management (RMM) player yesterday.
That is really VC speak for “we bought a controlling interest in your company.”
Don’t believe it? The top three Kaseya execs surely do. They are all “pursuing other opportunities.”
GFI Buys Partner
MSPs have a new choice when it comes to backup that can be fully integrated with RMM.
GFI Software recently bought its existing backup partner IASO, which is already the basis for GFI’s managed backup offering, a service sold through MSPs and often bundled with GFI MAX remote monitoring and management.
Through the existing GFI MAX Online Backup, MSPs have an easy, single console to manage client networks and storage.
Dutch-based IASO runs in an array (storage pun intended) of ways. Its software can be deployed on a client’s own backup server, and the software also drives IASO cloud backup services.
GFI got to know IASO after it crafting a partnership a year ago, and saw unique value in the software for IT customers and MSPs alike. “We have been using IASO’s technology in GFI MAX RemoteManagement for over a year and it has been a great success with our customers. Acquiring IASO’s technology provides us with a huge opportunity to expand this side of our business, target new opportunities in the MSP community and among businesses that want to reduce the technical and logistical overhead of backup and benefit from the fastest cloud based restore available,” said Walter Scott, CEO at GFI Software.
Edited by
Alisen Downey
