Conscia expands UK presence as ITGL buys ISN

Last year, Danish firm Conscia bought ITGL to gain access into the UK and Ireland, and now its mergers and acquisition (M&A) moves continue with the business making a further step to bolster its presence in the market.

Cisco gold partner ITGL has made a move for fellow networking specialist the Swindon-based Intuitive Systems & Networks (ISN). ISN is a similar business to ITGL, providing a range of security, managed network and software-defined solutions to a mid-market and public sector customer base.

The deal should add more private sector expertise and bolster the security services that the combined organisation can offer. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

ISN’s 40 staff will continue to work from their offices near Swindon, working in partnership with ITGL’s operations in Oxford and Portsmouth. The combined total headcount will reach 130.

Neil Pemberton, CEO of ITGL, said the deal had followed from its own acquisition by Conscia, which had the financial muscle and M&A experience to enable it to grow the business.

In the past year, Conscia has been working with ITGL on a Fit for Growth programme with the ambition of helping the UK firm to strengthen its position. The ISN move has been made to support that growth strategy.

“ISN is an ideal acquisition for us, from a culture, capabilities and market expertise perspective. With the organisation on board, we are better placed to expand our commercial client base and enhance existing managed services and cyber security offerings,” Pemberton said.

In response, Richard Titheradge, CEO of ISN, said that the firm recognised the benefits of joining forces with a business with similar skills and market focus: “ITGL being a Cisco gold partner, with a strong presence in the public sector, means that we complement each other perfectly. Additionally, by leveraging the wider Conscia international network, we can create more exciting opportunities for our employees and bring even greater value to our clients.”

Since Conscia picked up ITGL a year ago, it has added to its UK footprint with the acquisition of PlanNet21 Group last October.

Conscia is a significant business, with more than 1,300 staff operating across 10 countries – Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK – serving a customer base of more than 1,000.

The firm has repeatedly used M&A as a route to expand geographically, taking it into seven different territories over the past decade. The ITGL deal marked its 17th acquisition.

Speaking this time last year, Erik Bertman, CEO of Conscia, said the comapny had targeted the overseas expansion because it recognised the opportunities for growth: “The UK has a strong and expansive technology ecosystem and is one of the largest markets in Europe.”

The addition of PlanNet21 Group just a few months ago added an even wider coverage of the UK&I, with the firm operating out of a Dublin base with offices in Cork, Galway and Belfast, as well as in Scotland, Edinburgh.