Managed Services Acquisition: Softchoice Buys Unis Lumin

Softchoice, the largest technology reseller in Canada, has acquired Unis Lumin, a Canadian managed service provider that works closely with Cisco Systems. The $17 million MSP acquisition accelerates Softchoice’s push into recurring revenues, managed services and cloud services. The deal is expected to be completed in December.

Softchoice is adding over 50 managed services-focused employees and approximately 800 customers with the Unis Lumin acquisition. Softchoice will leverage Unis Lumin to build “a comprehensive public cloud offering,” according to Softchoice CEO David MacDonald.

“This is another milestone in our evolution as a comprehensive provider of IT solutions and services,” MacDonald said in a prepared statement. MacDonald also noted that Unis Lumin has a reputation for technical excellence in the Canadian market and is considered one of Cisco Systems’ top partners.

Softchoice’s buyout of Unis Lumin surfaces during a critical inflection point for the channel. During this week’s Cloud Channel Summit, multiple resellers were trying to figure out their place in cloud computing. Moreover, Best Buy this week acquired mindSHIFT — one of North America’s largest MSPs — in a bid to offer managed and cloud services.

Reinforcing that trend, Softchoice will attempt to blend professional services, managed services and cloud services. We’ll track the Softchoice-Unis Lumin business combination once the deal is completed.