Comcast Acquisition ‘Golden Ticket’ for Masergy Channel Partners

Partners and analysts are praising Comcast Business‘ acquisition of Masergy.

Philadelphia-based Comcast is buying Plano, Texas-based Masergy from Berkshire Partners for an undisclosed amount. The deal strengthens Comcast’s enterprise customer base and deepens its SD-WAN and remote work portfolio. On the other hand, it allows Berkshire to cash out on a high note after buying Masergy for reportedly around $900 million in 2016.

The channel community has almost uniformly applauded the deal. That starts with Masergy channel chief Jim Glackin, who expressed his delight on LinkedIn.

Source: LinkedIn

Mike Onystok, TBI‘s senior vice president of operations, said Masergy and Comcast complement each other very well.

TBI’s Mike Onystok

“The resources, reach and brand recognition Comcast has are undoubtedly in the top echelon of providers in the channel. The ability to combine this position with Masergy’s focus on providing next-gen solutions such as security, white glove service and deployment, and their catering to the global or mid-enterprise client provides a strong foundation to fill gaps for both in existing offering and focus,” Onystok.

Onystok and many of his peers in the industry agree that both companies levy a deep channel footprint.

“These are both household names in the channel community and the two together stand to be one of the strongest players in this space in the very near term,” he said.

Partner and channel consultant Peter Radizeski noted how both companies benefited.

Comcast Business will gain 1,400 customers in almost 100 countries with the Masergy deal. Masergy has been owned by Berkshire Partners since 2016. 5 yrs is when PE firms look to cash out.

— Peter Radizeski (@radinfo) August 25, 2021

ZK Research’s Zeus Kerravala

Analyst Zeus Kerravala agreed that private equity firms have typically sold by the end of five years. And considering that Masergy flourished during the pandemic with its remote work solutions, Berkshire was absolutely selling high.

“We are seeing more and more companies look to modernize their networks in preparation for more cloud or more work from home,” Kerravala said.

Check out our slideshow above to read reactions from partners and analysts about Comcast’s big acquisition.