SPS, Consultedge Complete Merger

By Charlene O'Hanlon

Two top-level Avaya channel partners have merged, creating a solution and services company with about 400 employees and 25 locations nationwide.

Strategic Products and Services (SPS), Parsippany, N.J., has completed its acquisition of Whippany, N.J.-based Consultedge. Both solution provider companies specialize in IP communications, including converged network infrastructure, unified communications and mobility. Additionally, both are Avaya Platinum Business Partners, the highest level partners can achieve.

Plans for the merger were announced last week and terms of the deal were not disclosed. The new company will use the SPS moniker. John Poole, president and CEO of SPS, will remain in his position; Dan Tassone, Consultedges executive vice president and national sales director, is the only member of Consultedges management team to stay on post-merger.

John Poole, SPS president and CEO, noted the Consultedge acquisition gives SPS additional presence in New York, New Jersey and the Carolinas, as well as a stable of employees versed in communications networking and telephony, SPS main business.

This enhances our market coverage,” Poole said. We also gain a group of great sales and technical people, strong customer relationships and we grow our scale.”

The Consultedge acquisition is the latest in a string of solution provider buys by SPS. In February, SPS bought Spenser Communications, a solution provider based in Covina, Calif., and in September 2008 it acquired PhoneXtra of Fairfield, N.J. Both also were Ayava Platinum Business Partners.

Avaya Platinum Business Partners, such as Consultedge, fit very nicely into our model,” Poole said. They have a strong structure and management team, and they integrate very nicely its a good business model.”

With more companies turning toward IP communications as their business communications platform of choice, the acquisition will help SPS extend its footprint throughout the United States and strengthen its already established sales and technical expertise.

For us to merge a company like Consultedge onto the SPS infrastructure and provide access to our NOC and converged engineering team is a win-win, especially for customers. The Consultedge team can now tell a whole different story, and for SPS, its a really good way to grow and add scale.”