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Big M&A: TPx, AT&T, BCM One
These are nine of the biggest blockbuster deals from the past month.
$85.4 billion.
That’s how much AT&T is forking out to buy Time Warner, and the deal is worth every penny to the carrier.
Many technology companies – especially those in telecommunications – see consolidation as the logical path forward for their success, and survival. In a world of rapidly developing technologies and customer demands, the fastest way to get on top of things sometimes is to buy rather than build.
AT&T’s transaction is the largest we wrote about last month, but we wrote about eight other deals, and they aren’t only from the telco world. Google Cloud made a bold purchase to stay in competition against its two big public-cloud rivals. Palo Alto Networks added security orchestration by purchasing Demisto.
So here you have it — the nine biggest M&A stories impacting the channel in February.
Slide through the images below to read about them or check out the January edition.
TPx
The managed services and connectivity provider is combining with Pensare Acquisition Corp., which is Nasdaq-listed, and becoming a public company in a $343 million transaction.
TPx will be renamed TPx Corp., and equity holders will earn a substantial check from Pensare.
To read more of the numbers and learn what a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) is, read Edward Gately's story.
The managed services and connectivity provider is combining with Pensare Acquisition Corp., which is Nasdaq-listed, and becoming a public company in a $343 million transaction.
TPx will be renamed TPx Corp., and equity holders will earn a substantial check from Pensare.
To read more of the numbers and learn what a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) is, read Edward Gately's story.
BCM One
The managed IT service provider partnered with private equity firm Thompson Street Capital Partners in a move that impacted portfolio and personnel.
Thompson Street also acquired SIPTrunk/SIP.US and made it a BCM One entity. The end-game is that BCM One will get access to new voice capabilities. Co-founders John Cunningham and Frank Ahearn stepped down from their co-CEO positions and into roles on the company's board.
Learn more about what BCM One is calling a recapitalization.
The managed IT service provider partnered with private equity firm Thompson Street Capital Partners in a move that impacted portfolio and personnel.
Thompson Street also acquired SIPTrunk/SIP.US and made it a BCM One entity. The end-game is that BCM One will get access to new voice capabilities. Co-founders John Cunningham and Frank Ahearn stepped down from their co-CEO positions and into roles on the company's board.
Learn more about what BCM One is calling a recapitalization.
Momentum Telecom
Momentum Telecom said its purchase of Metro Optical Solutions will transform the company into a "one-stop shop" for UCaaS, contact center and network connectivity.
Momentum partners can now sell fiber-based connectivity from Metro Optical. Both Momentum and Metro Optical, which provides managed network, data and internet solutions, have strong channel presences.
Learn more about the acquisition.
Momentum Telecom said its purchase of Metro Optical Solutions will transform the company into a "one-stop shop" for UCaaS, contact center and network connectivity.
Momentum partners can now sell fiber-based connectivity from Metro Optical. Both Momentum and Metro Optical, which provides managed network, data and internet solutions, have strong channel presences.
Learn more about the acquisition.
AT&T
It looks like the federal government is all but done trying to stop AT&T's merger with Time Warner.
The U.S. Court of Appeals shot down a complaint from the U.S. Department of Justice against the $85.4 billion transaction. The appeals panel ultimately followed the precedent of allowing vertical mergers. AT&T, a service provider, hopes to possess its own content (Time Warner) to distribute.
We explored why the channel should pay attention to the merger.
It looks like the federal government is all but done trying to stop AT&T's merger with Time Warner.
The U.S. Court of Appeals shot down a complaint from the U.S. Department of Justice against the $85.4 billion transaction. The appeals panel ultimately followed the precedent of allowing vertical mergers. AT&T, a service provider, hopes to possess its own content (Time Warner) to distribute.
We explored why the channel should pay attention to the merger.
Symantec
The cybersecurity company has already made services available from Luminate Security, its latest purchase.
Israel-based Luminate creates software defined perimeter (SDP) technology, and its Secure Access Cloud service has generated demand from customers and partners. Luminate was already a Symantec technology partner, and now Luminate channel partners may join the Symantec Secure One partner program.
Read about what Symantec hopes to gain from the transaction.
The cybersecurity company has already made services available from Luminate Security, its latest purchase.
Israel-based Luminate creates software defined perimeter (SDP) technology, and its Secure Access Cloud service has generated demand from customers and partners. Luminate was already a Symantec technology partner, and now Luminate channel partners may join the Symantec Secure One partner program.
Read about what Symantec hopes to gain from the transaction.
Palo Alto
Palo Alto Networks' purchase of Demisto should close sometime this month.
Demisto improves and deepens Palo Alto's analytics and automation capabilities and serves as what Palo Alto's CEO called an "application framework."
It cost Palo Alto $560 million to acquire the security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) provider.
Get details of the transaction.
Palo Alto Networks' purchase of Demisto should close sometime this month.
Demisto improves and deepens Palo Alto's analytics and automation capabilities and serves as what Palo Alto's CEO called an "application framework."
It cost Palo Alto $560 million to acquire the security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) provider.
Get details of the transaction.
Carbonite
The data-protection provider is buying cybersecurity provider Webroot for about $619 million in another case of enterprise IT consolidation.
The combined company will marry backup and disaster-recovery solutions from Carbonite with machine learning from Webroot. Channel Futures wrote that Carbonite gained access to new R&D as a result of the purchase and can now tap into Webroot's MSP channel.
Read Kris Blackmon's story on the matter.
The data-protection provider is buying cybersecurity provider Webroot for about $619 million in another case of enterprise IT consolidation.
The combined company will marry backup and disaster-recovery solutions from Carbonite with machine learning from Webroot. Channel Futures wrote that Carbonite gained access to new R&D as a result of the purchase and can now tap into Webroot's MSP channel.
Read Kris Blackmon's story on the matter.
Juniper
Juniper Networks tackled its portfolio gap in campus networking by purchasing Mist Systems.
The $405 million deal mixes Mist's wireless LAN (WLAN) platform with wired LAN and other networking and security solutions from Juniper. Mist was founded in 2014. It had been serving as a Juniper strategic technology partner.
Lynn Haber wrote about Juniper's M&A news.
Juniper Networks tackled its portfolio gap in campus networking by purchasing Mist Systems.
The $405 million deal mixes Mist's wireless LAN (WLAN) platform with wired LAN and other networking and security solutions from Juniper. Mist was founded in 2014. It had been serving as a Juniper strategic technology partner.
Lynn Haber wrote about Juniper's M&A news.
Google
Google Cloud is pushing Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure with its recent acquisition.
The public cloud unit bought Alooma, a Google Cloud partner that puts data from databases, applications and APIs into a real-time data warehouse. Google Cloud had announced previously that it was making an aggressive push for growth in order to stay competitive in the public-cloud market.
Jeffrey Burt covered the news on Channel Futures.
Google Cloud is pushing Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure with its recent acquisition.
The public cloud unit bought Alooma, a Google Cloud partner that puts data from databases, applications and APIs into a real-time data warehouse. Google Cloud had announced previously that it was making an aggressive push for growth in order to stay competitive in the public-cloud market.
Jeffrey Burt covered the news on Channel Futures.
