Microsoft CRM, Office 365 Partner Acquisition: RBA Buys Expertise

RBA, a Microsoft partner in Minneapolis, Minn., has acquired Meritide’s Dynamics CRM and Office 365 cloud consulting business practices. The deal, completed June 28, involves nearly 150 CRM and cloud customers shifting to RBA.

As a result of the deal, RBA gains a Microsoft CRM Gold Competency Status and a Microsoft Dynamics President Club honor — which should help RBA to gain instant credibility in the Dynamics market. RBA already had in-house Windows Server, SQL, SharePoint and .NET expertise.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Nor did RBA say much about Meritide’s Office 365 business practice. In a prepared statement, RBA President and COO Mike Reinhart spoke mostly about CRM opportunities ahead. And Microsoft Business Development Manager Lori Vangerud pointed to RBA’s strong expertise in business intelligence and application development.

RBA’s move is the latest example of a Microsoft partner acquiring buying a peer to push deeper into neighboring markets. Back in April 2012, Sentri Inc., a well-known Microsoft IT services firm, acquired Clearway Corp., which focuses on Microsoft cloud solutions.