yoshitaka - stock.adobe.com
Channel catch-up: News in brief
Developments this week at Trustmarque and Ultima, Westcon-Comstor, Climb, Presidio and Phoenix Software
Channel developments keep coming as firms make moves to ensure they are positioned for prosperity. A mixture of financial results, acquisitions and moves to increase technical skills were all announced over the past few days.
Trustmarque & Ultima
The two channel players have formally completed their merger, creating a new technology powerhouse in the UK IT services market. Now the deal is complete, the business will begin life with a unified leadership team that is led by Simon Williams as the group’s CEO, with Ultima executive Jamie Beaumont as CFO.
“This completion marks the beginning of a new chapter – from today, we are stronger together, built on innovation, scale and expertise,” said Williams. “By combining Ultima’s automation and managed services strength with Trustmarque’s deep technical heritage and professional services expertise, we are uniquely positioned to help our customers cut through that complexity to unlock tangible value today and in the future.”
Westcon-Comstor
The distributor delivered decent numbers for its first half ended 31 August. Gross sales up 9.8% to $2.78bn, gross profit increased by 13.8% to $246m, with gross margin expanding by 25.1%. Operating in the security market continued to aid the distie’s performance, with partners increasingly leaning on the channel player’s technical expertise. Security sales grew 16% to $1.45bn, with gross sales from networking and cloud, the firm’s other two main areas, also recording year-on-year increases.
“In our 40th year, these results underscore Westcon-Comstor’s growth focus, agility and strategic role at the heart of the IT channel,” said David Grant, CEO at Westcon-Comstor. “Cyber security is now firmly embedded as a key boardroom priority, while cloud adoption is accelerating and unleashing new possibilities for AI in networking. Westcon-Comstor has the capability, solutions and coverage to empower our partners and vendors to deliver unparalleled results in a period of rapid technological change and evolving business models.”
Climb Global Solutions
The distributor shared financial results, covering its third quarter ending 30 September. Net sales increased by 35% to $161.3m, net income was down slightly at $4.7m compared to $5.5m a year earlier, and gross billings increased 8%. The firm indicated that it had a healthy pipeline of strategic acquisition possibilities as it looked to increase its footprint across Europe.
“We continued to execute on our core initiatives in Q3 as we generated double-digit organic growth, benefitted from the acquisition of Douglas Stewart Software & Services last year, and deepened existing partnerships while signing new, cutting-edge vendors to our line card,” said Climb CEO Dale Foster. “I’m proud of our team’s ability to deliver solid results, maintain operational discipline and continue driving growth, even in the face of a challenging comp from last year with unique profit characteristics.”
Presidio
The global technology services player signed a definitive agreement to acquire Irish MSP Ergo. the deal adds to Preesido’s European footprint and gives it access to an operation that supports customers in both Ireland and the UK.
“Acquiring Ergo will mark an important step in Presidio’s European growth,” said Bob Cagnazzi, CEO of Presidio. “This will enhance our capabilities in a key market, add proven leadership and expertise, and position us to deliver even greater value to clients across the region.”
Phoenix Software
The channel player has struck a partnership with the West of Scotland (UWS) and Ayrshire College that will enable staff and students to get access to the latest software and technologies to improve the learning experience and the technical skill level held by the students. The key components offered by Phoenix Software include AI strategy, cyber security and IT governance – with joint initiatives to help UWS and Ayrshire College embrace AI.
Craig Taylor, CTO at Phoenix Software, said: “Our shared focus in areas such as cyber security, governance and AI transformation has been a driving force throughout our collaboration. We know from experience that technology and digital solutions can help revolutionise education services, making them more efficient, effective, and staff and student centric.”
