By Charlene O'Hanlon

Managed IP communications provider M5 Networks has acquired Geckotech, a Chicago-based hosted VoIP provider and expert in Cisco-powered IP communications.

M5 Networks, based in New York, is paying $8 million for Geckotech, and in return will get all of Geckotechs staff, customers and data centers, creating the largest specialized hosted VoIP company in the United States, according to the company.

The Geckotech acquisition brings to M5 a group of experts in hosted VoIP that have been delivering great customer service for seven years, a Midwest datacenter and a market-leading position in Chicago,” said Dan Hoffman, CEO of M5 Networks.

M5s Call Conductor platform will allow Gecko to scale its managed hosted service with industry-leading customer satisfaction scores,” Hoffman noted. They will also gain access to powerful new features like an advanced call center, CRM integration, business intelligence, conferencing and many others. M5s reputation as a service leader will help the combined company continue to dominate the Midwest market.”

Josh Robbins, CEO of Geckotech, will join M5 as vice president of Business Development, while M5 vice president Kerrin Parker will relocate to Geckotechs Chicago offices to manage integration efforts.

Over the next year, Geckotechs clients will be integrated to M5 Networks systems, with immediate access to the Call Conductor platform using their existing phones.

M5 has been the leader in this industry since they pioneered it 10 years ago, Robbins said in a statement. Theyve built great technology, which we cant wait to utilize for our shared customer base. Together we can enable our customers to use advanced phone system technology to become more efficient and informed organizations.”