Integrators in end of year acquisitions

Storage integrator SecureData (SDG) has acquired Victorian IT infrastructure company Fulcrum just a few weeks after its purchase of database management provider SQL Services.

Voice, data and IP integrator Integ Communication Solutions has also acquired communications equipment integrator Trade Centre Products, following its October acquisition of QLD-based data networking company Lanlink.

Evan Penn, managing director at SecureData, said the acquisition gives the integrator consulting and managed services on the Sun Microsystems platform.

He also intends to get back on the acquisition trail again in mid-2004. “We [are] finding a lot of organisations have strong technical skills, but are doing it tough in the current market environment,” Penn said.

Fulcrum -- which had 10 staff -- were struggling, according to Penn. “They got to the point where they were winning business on consulting but couldn't ramp up product sales. They needed capital to get into the product business in a big way,” he said.

The acquisition takes SecureData's staff roster to 120. Danny Davis, formerly the managing director of Fulcrum, would be joining SDG as general manager of technology strategy, the company said.

Fulcrum at its peak did around $14 million in turnover, with the majority of this sales revenue being derived through providing services around the Sun platform.

Penn said SecureData would build on that existing Sun business. But the jewel in the crown from this acquisition is a Fulcrum's FirstMover, a software program that was built in-house to manage the Sun Microsystems' platform, Penn said.
Fulcrum's experience in the Sun market would be of value to SecureData's clients, specifically the managed service offerings around Solaris, according to the company.

Penn said SecureData was profitable and was shooting for sales revenue of around $60 million by 30 June 2004. All profits are used to invest in businesses such as Fulcrum, Penn claimed.

Meanwhile, integrator Integ said its acquisition of Trade Centre Products from Trade Wind Marketing would strengthen Integ's offerings to include specialisations in emergency operator consoles, call centre quality monitoring, voice recording and archiving and high-end LED display boards.