Latest M&A: AT&T, Cisco, Dell, IBM, Pax8, Verizon
Verizon and AT&T ditched their media assets last month to focus on telecom.
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The digital identity solutions provider purchased SiteLock.
SiteLock provides website security protection and monitoring and serves more than 16 million websites. Sectirog’s fifth acquisition in three years helps it shore up its position in the web security market.
Get details on the transaction.
Forcepoint‘s secure access service edge (SASE) infrastructure will soon feature remote browser isolation technology.
Newly purchased Cyberinc provides cloud security gateway, private access and next-gen firewall as part of its Smart Isolation capabilities. As a result, Forcepoint can offer customers better visibility and control.
Read further details about the acquisition.
The cloud distributor purchased an education platform that will help partners grow their businesses.
Sea-Level Operations, which provides business-focused training and coaching, entered the channel for the first time. Sea-Level’s president will assume the role of vice president of the Pax8 Academy.
Take a look at Craig Galbraith’s story.
Dell Technologies announced another massive spin-off.
First, Dell announced plans to sell Boomi to two private equity firms for $4 billion. Dell had owned Boomi for 10 years.
The deal came a month after Dell said it would part ways with its 81% stake in VMware.
Learn about why Dell made these decisions.
Jamf bought a fellow Apple mobile device management provider.
Wandera is coming on board for $400 million. Although both companies focus on protecting Macs, iPhones and iPads, Wandera brings a strong foothold in the education verticial, the mobile carrier channel and EMEA.
Jeffrey Schwartz wrote about the deal.
Fidelis Cybersecurity bolstered its cloud security through M&A.
Fidelis bought CloudPassage, which secures cloud infrastructure through its Halo platform. The Halo platform brings automation capabilties that improve workflows between InfoSec and DevOps.
Fidelis landed on the MSP 501 last year.
See what executives from both companies said.
Absolute, the endpoint security and data risk management provider, will buy a connectivity and security solutions company.
Absolute can expand its SaaS platform and improve its engineering and sales expertise by purchasing NetMotion Software. NetMotion provides a SASE platform with a VPN and zero-trust network access.
The deal totaled $340 million in cash.
Learn more about the transaction.
Aruba Networks is keeping its partner program separate from Silver Peak for the time being.
HPE last year bought Silver Peak and combined it with Aruba. Aruba and Silver Peak have already announced a product integration, but they’re taking more of a wait-and-see to channel integration. The programs will stay separate through at least the end of the Aruba fiscal year (ending Oct. 31).
In the meantime, Aruba has made trainings and certifications available for legacy Aruba partners who want to join the Silver Peak program.
See what Aruba channel executives had to say.
The New York-based agency continued its acquisition spree.
Upstack used funds from its private equity investment to buy M2 Enterprise Group. M2’s co-founders won numerous honors selling through Bridgepointe Technologies. They’ll join a team of high-performing agents that share equity in Upstack.
Learn about Upstack’s latest purchases.
Nuvias Group bought another U.K.-based distributor.
Nuvias purchased Cloud Distribution, which helps fill gaps in Nuvias’ supplier line card. In addition, Cloud Distribution brings specialization in early engagement, which helps Nuvias “operate earlier in the technology life cycle.”
Read more about the purchase.
Ma Bell is refocusing on broadband with its media sale.
AT&T will sell WarnerMedia for $43 million to Discovery, approximately five years after AT&T first announced its plans to buy Time Warner.
As a result, AT&T will be sharpening its investment on 5G and fiber “to meet substantial, long-term demand for connectivity,” CEO John Stankey said.
Learn about AT&T’s strategy.
IBM announced multiple acquisitions last month.
First, IBM is reportedly paying more than $1 billion, which provides application resource management (ARM) and network performance management (NPM) software. Then Big Blue bought the European Salesforce partner Waeg. Finally IBM announced the purchase of Catalogic Software’s copy data management business.
Read about the Catalogic Software, Turbonomic and Waeg acquisitions.
The Kaseya-owned company is landing a vCIO solution through its acquisition of TruMethods.
Gary Pica, a well known figure in the MSP channel, founded TruMethods in 2009. Its solution helps MSPs deepen their relationships with clients. Kaseya has historically sponsored the firm.
Allison Francis covered the transaction.
The cloud communications service provider NWN is buying Carousel Industries.
New State Capital Partners backed the financially undisclosed transaction, which will create a “national cloud communications leader.” Carousel CEO Jeff Gardner said 70% of his customer base has asked for integrated cloud services.
Edward Gately has the scoop.
Cisco is improving its threat and risk-based vulnerability management through an acquisition.
The vendor announced the purchase of Kenna Security, which offers expertise in machine-learning and data science. The companies will disclose their plans for channel integration after the acquisition closes this summer.
Get details on Cisco’s acquisition.
Verizon joined its rival AT&T in saying goodbye to its media division.
The carrier sold Verizon Media (now known as Yahoo) to Apollo Global Management for $5 billion. Verizon spent $4.8 billion for Yahoo in 2016 and $4.4 billion for AOL in 2015 and the merged them into a group it once called Oath.
Read about the divestiture.
The IT management software solutions provider bought Beyond Security to strengthen its cybersecurity portfolio.
Beyond Security offers vulnerability assessment and management software. It joins seven other cybersecurity companies that HelpSystems has bought in the last 18 months.
Partners from both companies can now offer additional solutiosn and open up new revenue streams.
Check out Edward Gately’s story.
The IT management software solutions provider bought Beyond Security to strengthen its cybersecurity portfolio.
Beyond Security offers vulnerability assessment and management software. It joins seven other cybersecurity companies that HelpSystems has bought in the last 18 months.
Partners from both companies can now offer additional solutiosn and open up new revenue streams.
Check out Edward Gately’s story.
Verizon and AT&T are both sharpening their focus on telecommunications through divestiture.
Both carriers are getting out of the media game, with Verizon selling the unit it created through its Yahoo and AOL purchases and AT&T saying goodbye to the Time Warner acquisition it fought for so long to secure. But that’s good news for channel partners. Both telcos are going back to the basics by focusing on mobility and broadband. As a result, partners should play a bigger stakeholder role than ever.
Our M&A roundup features a mix of telecom and IT. Cybersecurity firms remain a red hot M&A target, as buyers gobbled up Beyond Security, Cyberinc and Secucloud.
Two particularly big IT names made the news last month: IBM and Dell. Dell announced its second major spin-off in a month, and IBM announced multiple acquisitions.
If you want to see who else engaged in consolidation last month, scroll through the 17 images above.
Did you miss our previous gallery? Check out our April recap.
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