Acquia serves more than 30 companies in the Fortune 100.

Edward Gately, Senior News Editor

September 26, 2019

2 Min Read
Mergers and acquisitions
“Doing your pre-merger due diligence is essential, but we have learned, at times the hard way, that this due diligence shouldn’t just be from a financial standpoint. Getting a full understanding of the way the incoming organization functions from a process, policies and a personal, human component (or ‘HR factor,’ as we’ve come to call it), is key. As the company doing the acquisition, you want to take your time in getting to know the organization you’ve acquired and fully understand the way that they were doing things, presumably successfully, before you came into the picture. Remember that if they were profitable before you merge, they should remain profitable afterward, so you do have some time on your side to cement the courtship before bringing things under one roof.  You need to take your time with that HR factor in an acquisition, but not from a branding perspective. We once learned in an early acquisition, and learned the hard way, that corporate communication, both internal and external, needs to have a set ‘go-live’ date and plan in place well before the transaction.  On that date, you need to have all your ducks in a row so that your two teams coming together as one know exactly what they need to about the company as a whole, its vision, and how the brand is going to go to market in the future. If you let both brands co-exist separately, it will only make ripping the Band-Aid off later more difficult, more time-consuming and more costly as the departing brand becomes more and more embedded.” —Aaron Bradley, VP of marketing, CareWorxShutterstock

Acquia, the web content management and digital experience platform (DXP) provider, is being acquired by Vista Equity Partners, the investment firm focused on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses.

With Vista’s backing, Acquia will accelerate “taking on legacy digital experience (DXP) providers to capture new market share even faster with the world’s most ambitious brands,” said Mike Sullivan, the company’s president and CEO. Acquia serves more than 30 companies in the Fortune 100.

The company’s products include Acquia Cloud, Acquia Cloud Site Factory, Acquia Digital Asset Management and others.

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Acquia’s Joe Wykes

Joe Wykes, Acquia‘s senior vice president of worldwide partnerships and sales, tells us his company’s global partner network spans across multiple industries, including digital marketing agencies, SIs, resellers and VARs, as well as specialist web development companies.

“Customers and partners can continue to expect Acquia to operate the way we do today, and there will be no changes to their interactions,” he said. “We will provide the same great service and experience they have had from Acquia throughout our relationship. The capital from the investment will also enable us to provide, build and grow the products our customers and partners depend on, while simultaneously continuing to innovate and deliver new products that amplify Acquia’s culture and enhance employee engagement.”

Keep up with the latest channel-impacting mergers and acquisitions in our M&A roundup.

Acquia will continue to operate independently. The transaction is expected to close in the coming weeks and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

Acquia is a “partner first” organization and will continue to look to its partners to embrace its platform capabilities to grow their digital experience practices, Wykes said.

“Our partners give us geographical reach, industry vertical expertise and specific solution capability that extend our offerings,” he said. “Acquia has always looked for the best way to grow and strengthen its product and improve its community. With Vista, Acquia can now scale faster and with even more resources to meet the needs of customers, while also continuing to give back to the Drupal and Mautic developer communities. Over the next few months, we will work closely with Vista to determine how we impact even more positive change to our business.”

“The world’s leading and most innovative digital brands understand that their ability to deliver a seamless digital customer experience is essential to their success,” said Robert F. Smith, Vista’s founder, chairman and CEO. “Acquia understands this and is leading the way in providing innovative solutions to its customers while, at the same time, giving back to the open source community. We are thrilled to partner with Acquia and believe the company is well-positioned to capitalize on the tremendous opportunity in the DXP marketplace.”

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VARs/SIs

About the Author(s)

Edward Gately

Senior News Editor, Channel Futures

As news editor, Edward Gately covers cybersecurity, new channel programs and program changes, M&A and other IT channel trends. Prior to Informa, he spent 26 years as a newspaper journalist in Texas, Louisiana and Arizona.

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