Communal Intelligence

TD Synnex launches industry ecosystem for AI to accelerate development and delivery of AI-driven solution

TD SYNNEX is helping partners develop capabilities in AI with the launch of a new Industry Ecosystem where ISVs, channel partners, vendors and interested parties can share ideas, create partnerships and develop new solutions using artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs).
The distributor already runs Industry Ecosystems for healthcare, financial services, manufacturing and retail and distribution, as well as Technology Ecosystems for cybersecurity and sustainability, and the addition of an AI ecosystem is nothing if not timely.
At the TD SYNNEX Vendor Summit in March, David Watts, Managing Director TD SYNNEX UK&I, quoted figures from the company’s Direction of Technology report showing that in 2023 29% of channel partners were working with AI solutions (six times more than the year before) and that 34% of those partners were investing to enable them to have solution offerings
by 2025 (two and a half times more than in 2022).

There is clearly a lot of interest in AI, but equally the technology is still in its early days and partners recognise there are many building blocks they need to put in place before they are in a position to deploy AI solutions, such as data collection policies, integration with back end data sources, analytics, secure storage, the right cloud and edge posture etc..
Speaking to Technology Reseller at the Vendor Summit, Watts said that an
AI Industry Ecosystem (along with other TD SYNNEX initiatives such as training, certifications, workshops, forums and Microsoft Copilot POCs) had a vital role to play in helping partners find their feet in AI.
“The absolute central proposition of our industry ecosystems is to address something that everyone is trying to work out at the same time. In the case of AI, you may have a vendor that has part of the answer as to how AI can be deployed – they may not have an AI solution per se but be providing the network and it’s security and can advise on policies. You might have resellers that don’t have the right skill sets and perhaps don’t even know what to say when a customer inevitably says to them ‘Should I be looking at AI or not?’. The idea is to start bringing these forums together so everyone’s thinking about the problem at the same time.”
Use cases
Watts adds that one of the purposes of the ecosystem will be to generate more AI uses cases for small and mid-sized business.
“Microsoft’s ambition is to get case studies out there, real use cases of businesses that people can relate to that aren’t about the Central Bank of wherever taking on Copilot, because most people can’t relate to that opportunity. It’s about an operational department in a small business. And I think that’s why these forums are so important.”
To begin with he expects channel partners serving SMEs to focus mainly on Copilot.
“I’ve been to a few vendor conference where I’ve said to CTOs ‘Where would you start with AI, bearing in mind our customer base is mostly small customers? Where would you start if you were them?’ And a couple of them said the same thing, which is a useful starting point. They said they’ve probably got AI deployed on products that they’ve taken into their customers, but may not fully understand. A lot of Microsoft products, a lot of products from Cisco, Salesforce and HPE have AI on board. Talking to your customers about the role it’s playing in their business already is a nice entry point.

“Where do you go from there? Today, it’s Microsoft Copilot. After that, it’s very unclear. You’ve got big consultancies, like BCG, Bain, Accenture, who are saying we can utilise AI to make your customer-facing people super-efficient, but not many people can access that. I think time will bring more SKU-able, pre-packaged products that are easily understandable, but at the moment, you’ve only really got Microsoft.”
Sales boost
In the meantime, he expects AI to provide a further boost to the high growth technologies that were doing well before Covid and which continued to be in demand even in 2023 when endpoint sales through the channel (PCs, notebooks, printers, accessories, supplies) took a hammering – down 15%, according to Context figures.
“COVID changed a lot of things, but it didn’t change the high growth technologies. Partly in response to AI, cloud, hybrid cloud, as-a-service offerings coming from HPE, Lenovo and Dell are continuing to grow really well. Security we expect to grow, and again that market is going to be stimulated by AI. Then, anything to do with managing big amounts of data creatively, bringing
as much of it to the edge as possible to give people the functions they require, will continue to do really well. Those have been our key bets for three or four years and that won’t change.
“End users are trying to set up more and more data practices for all sorts of really smart reasons and they need a lot of help in doing that. How do you do it smartly? How do you bring it to the edge fast? How do you secure it? That’s the bread and butter of a lot of VARs these days, or MSPs if they’re managing the whole thing, and they will continue to thrive.”

Climb Channel Solutions Announces Strategic New Hires to Fuel EMEA Expansion Plans

+ Newly appointed EMEA Marketing Director Roberta McCrossan will spearhead the marketing efforts of Climb-
+ Brian Davis named VP Sales UK and Ireland-
+ In Ireland, David Keating takes on role of Country Manager alongside managing the Security and Networking portfolio
+ Patrick Van Arendonk joins as Sales Director for the Benelux region-
+ Kamel Kerbib named Country Manager for France-
Picture above, David Keating, Gerard Brophy & Roberta McCrossan
Climb Channel Solutions (Climb), an international specialty technology distributor and wholly owned subsidiary of Climb Global Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLMB) today announces a number of strategic appointments to spearhead the company’s continued expansion plans across EMEA. Climb is pleased to welcome Roberta McCrossan (EMEA Marketing Director), Brian Davis (VP Sales UK and Ireland), David Keating (Country Manager Ireland and Group Security Sales Director), Kamel Kerbib (Country Manager France), and Patrick Van Arendonk (Sales Director Benelux) to its growing EMEA team.
EMEA Marketing Director Roberta McCrossan has over 24 years of experience in the IT industry, and was the Group Marketing Director for DataSolutions, a company acquired by Climb in October 2023. Roberta played a key role in establishing DataSolutions as one of the UK and Ireland’s leading distributors, where it worked with vendors including Citrix, HPE Aruba, IGEL, and Check Point. Roberta will continue to work with DataSolutions and other subsidiaries of Climb across EMEA – including key markets such as the UK, Ireland, France, and Netherlands.
Gerard Brophy & Brian Davis
Brian Davis has been appointed VP Sales UK and Ireland after spending the last 11 years leading the Cloud and Digital workspace division for DataSolutions. With 24 years’ experience in distribution, Brian led the UK establishment and expansion of DataSolutions and works extensively with tier 1 vendors to accelerate and grow their business through the channel.
Ireland Country Manager David Keating begins the role after over 20 years with DataSolutions. Joining in 2002, David was appointed Group Security Sales Director in 2017. David manages security sales for Climb Channel Solutions and will continue in this role alongside his new position as Country Manager.
Sales Director for Benelux Patrick Van Arendonk joins Climb with a wealth of experience having worked for several vendors and distributors, one of which was acquired by Exclusive Networks. Patrick later went on to manage the Netherlands for Exclusive Networks and later the Cloud First division for the Group.
In France, Kamel Kerbib has been named Country Manager and is tasked with expanding the Climb brand across the country. A veteran of the information technology, cloud, and services industries, Kamel was the former Co-Founder and VP Sales for
FEDALGO by Clougnitive Technology, and Regional Sales Director for Violin Memory.
Gerard Brophy, Chief Revenue Officer, Climb said: “We’re very pleased to welcome Roberta, Brian, David, Kamel and Patrick to our EMEA team – a team that is tasked with spearheading Climb’s expansion across the region. What matters for Climb as we look towards growth is ensuring we have the right people with the experience we need to be successful. In Roberta, Brian and Patrick we have exactly that. I am personally looking forward to working closely with each of them, and to achieve our shared goals together.”
For more information, visit www.climbcs.com.
About Climb Channel Solutions and Climb Global Solutions
Climb Channel Solutions is a global specialty technology distributor focusing on Security, Data Management, Connectivity, Storage & HCI, Virtualisation & Cloud, and Software Application & Lifecycle. What sets Climb apart is our commitment to transform distribution by providing emerging and established IT technologies, flexible financing, real-time quoting, best of breed channel operations, speed to market, and exceptional service to our partners worldwide. Climb Channel Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Climb Global Solutions (NASDAQ: CLMB). Experience the Climb difference and learn how our people-first approach empowers VARs and MSPs to grow, scale, and accelerate their business. Visit www.climbcs.com

Basware Acquires AP Matching

The acquisition unifies invoice processing and statement reconciliation to drive accuracy and cost savings for customers
 Basware, a global leader in AP automation and invoice processing, today announced that it has acquired AP Matching.
The acquisition will expand Basware’s market offering, bringing accurate financial data and increased cost savings to the entire invoice processing cycle. It will go beyond traditional AP (accounts payable) automation and solve a critical pain point for finance and accounting teams: ensuring the accuracy of financial records through automated statement reconciliation.
Based in the UK, AP Matching (formerly Statement Matching) is a provider of cloud-based solutions for managing invoices and reconciling statements. Its platform reconciles buyer and supplier statements and delivers matched invoices to customers’ Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Source to Pay (S2P) systems, requiring minimal input from the AP team.
Statement Reconciliation
The role of statement reconciliation in financial management is critical. Research with Ardent Partners recently found that a lack of visibility into invoice and payment data was the biggest AP hurdle for 1 in 5 (21% of) finance departments, working with unstructured or incorrect data. As a result, improving reporting and data analytics was the top priority selected by 53% of all AP leaders.
Statement reconciliation allows CFOs to accurately compare two sets of financial statements to ensure they match, such as a supplier invoice and the buyer’s company records. Ensuring supplier invoices match and the data is accurate allows payments to be made on time, guarantees payments are processed correctly and improves cashflow forecasting.
However, up to 59% of a financial department’s resources are allocated to managing transaction-intensive processes, emphasising the need for more efficient and accurate approaches, such as automated reconciliation software.
The integration of Basware and AP Matching will provide solutions to harmonise financial statements, reduce the risk of erroneous payments and increase the integrity of CFOs’ financial data.
Unifying AP automation
For nearly 40 years, Basware has helped enterprises worldwide navigate the complexities of the invoice processing cycle. Powered by AI, Basware’s platform automates the entire accounts payable journey – from receipt and matching through to approval and payment – reducing manual effort and ensuring regulatory compliance. Backed by Accel-KKR, Basware automates over 220 million invoices and $900bn in spend annually for thousands of customers.
Jason Kurtz, CEO of Basware, commented on the acquisition:
“CFOs often struggle to oversee the complexities of invoicing processes end-to-end, which can lead to erroneous payments slipping through the gaps. The repercussions of failure in statement reconciliation is money lost from a company’s P&L (profit and loss statement). But it can be fixed and automated. We’re excited to combine forces with AP Matching, so that CFOs can enhance their AP automation processes and increase the accuracy of financial recording. We’re on a mission to unlock the future of finance and provide the best end-to-end technology to drive value for our customers. With AP Matching, we will do just that.”
Managed Services Integration
Headquartered in the UK, AP Matching has been serving large enterprises since 2005, focused on the UK and US markets.
Through the acquisition, Basware will also integrate AP Matching’s Managed Services division. The managed services team specialises in automated invoice processing and managed data capture services, specifically for SAP customers. Its solution eliminates the data capture process for customers, ensuring they receive 100% electronic data from invoices in their ERP systems, regardless of how suppliers submit invoices (e-invoicing, email or paper).
By integrating AP Matching’s managed services and SAP capabilities, Basware will further strengthen its solution for invoice capture, validation, and integration with existing ERP systems.
Daniel Kimpton, Cofounder and Director at AP Matching, also commented:
“We’re thrilled to join forces with Basware and offer a comprehensive solution that will improve the entire invoice processing cycle for enterprises worldwide. The acquisition will supercharge our growth and enable us to provide unmatched value to customers, as we combine our expertise in statement reconciliation with Basware’s AP automation capabilities. Together, we will empower CFOs with a powerful end-to-end technology solution that ensures accuracy and efficiency in financial recording.”
The announcement follows Basware’s acquisition of Glantus in October 2023, a company that specialises in invoice analysis to prevent overpayment and fraud.
About Basware 
Basware is how finance leaders in global enterprises can finally automate their complex, labor-intensive invoice processes and stay compliant with regulatory change. Our AP automation and invoicing platform helps you achieve a new level of efficiency – in a matter of months – while reducing errors and risks. We bring a unique combination of true automation, complete coverage, and deeper expertise to make it all just happen for our customers. That’s why the world’s most efficient AP departments at thousands of companies rely on Basware to handle over 220 million invoices per year. With Basware, Now it all just happens.

UK Enterprises Spending Close to a Billion Pounds on Green Tech Each Year

-New survey commissioned by Auxilion and HPE reveals that UK-based enterprises using green technologies are spending on average £917,540 on this annually-
-Just under 4 in 5 (79%) of IT decision makers say sustainability is a current key priority-
-87%* of IT decision makers have already invested or are planning to invest in AI sustainability solutions in the next 12-24 months-
UK enterprises are spending just shy of £1 Billion each year on green technologies, according to a new survey jointly commissioned by Auxilion, a leading provider of digitally transformative IT services and solutions, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the global edge-to-cloud company. The survey, which was conducted by Censuswide and involved 100 IT decision makers in UK enterprises with 250+ employees, found that enterprises who are using green technologies are spending on average £917,540 on these annually.
The survey highlighted the commitment of UK enterprises to sustainability, with just under 4 in 5 (79%) of IT decision makers stating that sustainability is a current priority for the organisation, and 84% stating they were proud of their company’s commitment to green IT.
The reason behind the intention of UK enterprises making sustainability a priority was the direct impact it has on their business. When surveyed, three quarters (75%) of IT decision makers said they consider sustainability key to business growth, 76% said it was key in attracting and retaining talent, and 72% said it is a key differentiator when choosing a vendor.
The focus of the survey then turned to the role of AI in achieving sustainability goals. When asked, 87%* of IT decision makers said they have already invested or are planning to invest in AI sustainability solutions for their business in the next 12-24 months. The data revealed an annual amount of £1,029,524 spent on AI sustainability solutions for those stating they have already invested or are planning to. With 76% of IT decision makers surveyed stating that AI has a significant role to play in achieving sustainability targets, this figure is set to increase.
Donal Sullivan, CTO, Auxilion, commented on the results: “As shown by this research and our recently released report, it is positive to see organisations putting their money where their mouth is by investing in green technology. What the report and survey data highlights is a direct link between sustainability and business growth, which is something the industry has been debating for some time. We expect to see this investment by UK enterprises in green technology increase over time, as well as the role of AI in enabling organisations to deliver on their sustainability targets.”
“One of the most interesting elements of the survey was how an organisation’s sustainability commitment and credentials can help to attract and retain the best talent – which is a critical issue for any organisation. Sustainability is important to many people, and this is something leaders need to consider.”
The survey was commissioned in partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the global edge-to-cloud company.
For more information about Auxilion, visit www.auxilion.com.
About the survey
Survey conducted by Censuswide, surveying 100 IT decision-makers in enterprises (250+ employees) aged 18+ across the UK in February 2024 (14.02.2024 – 19.02.2024). Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.
Auxilion
Auxilion is an award-winning provider of IT services, delivering bespoke solutions for public and private organisations in the UK and Ireland. Auxilion’s range of services includes consulting, project management, project delivery, digital and managed services. Backed by one of the largest project management teams in the country, the company ensures the successful delivery of large-scale IT projects, programmes, and strategies.

Summize extends contract capabilities to the Inbox

Summize has continued its momentum of world-first innovations by launching the world’s first CLM email assistant, designed specifically for Microsoft Outlook.
The new functionality is designed to join the dots of contract workflows by closing the loop on a critical piece of the puzzle, bringing contract processes directly into the popular Outlook email platform.
Whether the legal interface starts in Summize’s popular Salesforce, Teams or Slack integrations, or now in Outlook, anyone in the business can seamlessly manage the contract request process without navigating to a standalone legal tool.
This is of particular benefit to commercial or sales teams, allowing them to stay within Outlook for contract negotiations and speeding up the review cycle. With automated workflows, templates and clauses set by the legal team, business stakeholders can perform contract-related tasks with ease directly within the window of their emails.
During negotiations, Summize’s inbuilt AI identifies any attachments in the email, allowing users to seamlessly revise existing requests, attach the latest document and request and store files to and from Summize without having to download and re-upload documents.
Tom Dunlop, CEO at Summize said: “The Outlook integration is the most exciting thing to come out of our R&D lab this year. We truly believe this innovation closes a workaround gap that exists in every other Contract Lifecycle Management solution on the market. We’ve designed it with the user experience at the core – it’s not just a plug-in integration, it’s a fully immersive, embedded experience within your Outlook mailbox.
“We know the critical importance of getting users outside of the legal team to adopt legal processes, and putting Summize within Outlook for the wider business makes it easier than ever. We can’t wait to get it into the hands of our existing and new customers.”
The Summize Outlook experience is available at no additional cost to existing Summize licence holders from this month.
www.summize.com

Working together

This month’s round-up of new distribution agreement

Sol Distribution adds Weblib to portfolio

Network and security hardware products distributor Sol Distribution has entered into a distribution agreement with Weblib, a provider of digital transformation and connectivity solutions to corporate offices, public spaces, retail and restaurant chains.
Flagship Weblib products now available from Sol Distribution include smilein, a mobile ordering and payment system that enables customers to order food on their smartphone; the Smart WiFi cloud Wifi solution; and Ucopia and Ucopia Cloud high density WiFi solutions for managing WiFi access and captive portals.
Charlie Dickinson, Operations and Logistics Manager at Sol Distribution, said: “When we first came across Weblib, it seemed like an ideal fit. As we strive to expand our portfolio, especially in software solutions, partnering with Weblib was a natural progression. This partnership is
a significant step towards realising our vision of delivering a comprehensive suite of IT solutions, tailored to meet the diverse needs of our clients.”
Exertis AV moves into business projection with Epson
Exertis is building on its long-standing role as a distributor of Epson printers and large format printers by adding the company’s business projectors to the Exertis AV offering. Exertis AV is supporting its move into this new technology area by bringing in Peter Vernon as Projection Business Manager to head up Exertis AV’s new Projection pillar.
Craig Waters, Video Projection Sales Manager at Epson UK, said: “Our indirect business sales model means we place great faith in the channel to relay our messaging to customers and help place the right solutions in the right places. Post-Covid business environments continue to change but the demand for large, durable viewing experiences remains consistent whether in the office, at home, or on the move; and Exertis is well-placed to help us continue meeting this demand along with our other distribution partners.”
LastPass partners with Distology
Distology has expanded its Identity portfolio with the addition of the LastPass password management platform. This enables customers to create, store and manage passwords, bank details, payment cards, addresses etc. and also includes a multi-factor authentication (MFA) tool for organisations that don’t already use MFA (or an IAM platform that incorporates one) or that wish to consolidate into LastPass.

The platform enables business users to scale adoption with automation and track company-wide password health with dark web monitoring and password hygiene scores. Each business user also receives a handful of home-use licences for family and friends on the basis that most business customers face the greatest risk of compromise through their personal and professional networks.
Distology CTO Lance Williams said; “I am absolutely delighted to welcome LastPass into the Distology portfolio. As an identity specialist, Distology recognises a gap in our work with customers – those passwords that live outside the IAM and those organisations who can’t yet embrace a full IAM platform. LastPass addresses both and more. ”
Salesforce extends partnership with AWS
Salesforce is making select products available for purchase in the UK via the AWS Marketplace, a digital catalogue with thousands of software solutions that run on Amazon Web Services (AWS). These include Data Cloud, Service Cloud, Sales Cloud, Industry Clouds, Tableau, MuleSoft, Platform and Heroku.
Customers benefit from a single view across their IT spend, simplified procurement processes and flexible options like private pricing and consolidated billing through AWS.
Paul O’Sullivan, UKI CTO and SVP Solution Engineering at Salesforce, said: “Today is a significant moment in our strategic partnership with AWS. With our combined offering and expertise, we’re enabling UK customers to accelerate deployment of Salesforce products and generative AI technologies through seamless buying and billing experiences.”
www.salesforce.com

Jamf addition a great opportunity, says TD SYNNEX
TD SYNNEX is to offer Jamf’s full suite of Apple enterprise device management solutions to partners in Europe, backed with comprehensive resources, training and support.
TD SYNNEX’s Jamf offering includes Jamf Pro mobile device management (MDM) for large fleets of Apple devices; Jamf Now, a streamlined MDM solution for small organisations; Jamf Connect for seamless connections while staying secure with zero trust network access; and Jamf Protect for endpoint threat prevention and security.
Stef Van Langendonck, Vice President, Apple Solutions, Europe at TD SYNNEX, said: “The addition of Jamf represents a great opportunity for partners aiming to enhance their specialisation in Apple device offerings tailored for business use, especially in the SMB space.”
SYNAXON adds Origin Storage to vendor list
Channel services company SYNAXON has added data storage and security specialist Origin Storage to its growing list of vendors. Origin’s full range of storage, data security and accessory products will be added to SYNAXON’s EGIS platform, which provides pricing and availability details from more than 40 distributors. Best-selling lines will also be available through Synaxon Hub.
Mike Barron, Managing Director of SYNAXON in the UK, said: “Origin’s outstanding portfolio of vendors and its own products adds a new dimension both to EGIS and the SYNAXON Hub. It gives our partners access to a range of advanced storage and data security solutions that address the dynamic storage needs of today’s customers, bringing new potential for partners to differentiate.”
Westcoast to distribute Ergotron ergonomic products
Westcoast is bringing ergonomic healthcare and workspace products to partners in the UK and Ireland through a new relationship with Ergotron. These include ergonomic desk and wall mounts, monitor arms for various work settings and specialised healthcare solutions such as carts, wall workstations and advanced battery systems.

New finance solution proves power of partner ecosystems

TD SYNNEX has played midwife to a new finance solution for town and parish councils by bringing together the companies behind its development at a partner event exploring opportunities in Dynamics Business Central.
These were public sector specialist CloudyIT and Microsoft Dynamics Business Central partner Prosperity 24/7, which used its skills in Business Central to build a tailored finance solution for a CloudyIT customer.
David Hall, Managing Director of CloudyIT, said: “Through our contacts and knowledge
of the public sector market, we were able to identify what was needed by the customer and give Prosperity 24/7 a clear brief on what they needed to build.”
The result is GovFinance, a solution built on Microsoft Business Central and hosted on Microsoft 365 that harnesses the power of AI and automation to transform the way local governments manage their finances. It was launched in January at the SLCC (Society of Local Council Clerks) Conference, with the first deal signed seven days later.

Ian Turner, Microsoft Dynamics 365 UK lead at TD SYNNEX, said: “The success of GovFinance is an example of how we can help partners unlock new value through personal connections and peer-to-peer engagement. The success story is a testament to the power of our partner ecosystem when we work together to harness expertise and partnership opportunities.”

AudioCodes first for Westcon-Comstor

Westcon-Comstor has become the first pan- EMEA distributor to provide the AudioCodes Live Platform for Microsoft Teams, helping partners to grow recurring revenue with unified communications as a service and contact centre as a service.
Hosted by AudioCodes and managed by Westcon in Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Teams, the white-labelled platform brings together Teams direct routing for voice calls, an AI-powered contact centre solution and recording for compliance.
Antony Byford, Vice President Cloud and Collaboration Europe at Westcon-Comstor, said: “End-users can sometimes lack expertise around Microsoft Teams unified communications tools. With the AudioCodes Live Platform for Microsoft Teams, we can overcome this and other challenges by providing a hosted voice solution that
our partners can bring to market, growing predictable recurring revenues by building as-a-service capabilities and unleashing the full potential of Microsoft Teams for their customers.”

Lior Aldema, Chief Business Officer at AudioCodes, added: “AudioCodes Live Platform for Microsoft Teams is a proven gamechanger thanks to its ability to enable service providers to offer a comprehensive portfolio for Microsoft Teams with rapid onboarding for their customers.”

Acquisition will enable accelerated investment in innovative technology for digital transformation

WSO2, a leader in digital transformation technology, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by EQT.
“We are thrilled to partner with EQT as we embark on the next phase of WSO2’s journey,” said Dr. Sanjiva Weerawarana, CEO and Founder of WSO2. “With EQT’s support and expertise, we are well-positioned to accelerate our innovation agenda, expand our global footprint, and continue empowering enterprises to thrive in the digital economy.”
Since its inception in 2005, WSO2 has been at the forefront of building innovative software that allows organizations to seamlessly deliver digital experiences. Today, WSO2’s platform offers a complete set of market leading solutions across integration, API management, identity & access management (IAM) and application development. Thousands of organizations, including hundreds of the world’s largest corporations, top universities, and governments, rely on WSO2’s cloud native software as a service (SaaS) and open-source offerings to drive their digital initiatives — executing 60 trillion transactions and managing over 1 billion identities each year.
With EQT as its new partner, WSO2 reaffirms its commitment to delivering innovative solutions that address the evolving needs of modern businesses.
Looking ahead, “WSO2 remains focused on driving customer success, fostering community collaboration, and delivering innovative software that unlocks new value creation opportunities for organizations worldwide,” added Weerawarana.
Hari Gopalakrishnan, Partner in the EQT Private Capital Asia advisory team, said: “We’re excited to partner with WSO2 as it helps customers across industries drive their digital transformation and enhance operational resilience. We believe that WSO2 is well-positioned to capitalize on long-term trends such as digital transformation and rising generative AI adoption and are confident of drawing on EQT’s proven software value creation playbook to further accelerate WSO2’s strong growth.”
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with EUR 242 billion in total assets under management and the third largest private equity firm globally*. Founded three decades ago by the Swedish Wallenberg family, today EQT owns portfolio companies and assets in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas and supports them in achieving sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership. EQT’s extensive global portfolio of enterprise software companies includes firms such as IFS, SUSE, thinkproject, and more.
The transaction is subject to customary conditions and approvals. J.P. Morgan served as exclusive financial advisor to WSO2.
*According to the 2023 PEI 300
About WSO2
Founded in 2005, WSO2 is the largest independent software vendor providing open-source API management, integration, and identity and access management (IAM) products. WSO2’s products and platforms—including our next-gen internal developer platform, Choreo—empower organizations to leverage the full potential of APIs for secure delivery of digital services and applications, enabling thousands of enterprises in over 90 countries globally to drive their digital transformation journeys. Our open-source, API-first approach frees developers and architects from vendor lock-in, enabling rapid digital product creation. Recognized as leaders by industry analysts, WSO2 has over 800 employees worldwide with offices in Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Sri Lanka, the UAE, the UK, and the US, with nearly USD100M in annual recurring revenue. Visit https://wso2.com to learn more

Focus Group dial-up mobile growth with acquisition of Cellular Solutions

Focus Group are today delighted to announce the acquisition of Cellular Solutions, a long-established specialist in the delivery of mobile services and communications solutions to businesses across the South East, from its offices in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove.
The decision to invest in Cellular Solutions was strongly influenced by a long-standing affinity which exists between the founders of the two companies; one which predates the inception of Focus Group. Since meeting in Brighton over twenty years ago, the relationship has evolved courtesy of shared ambitions, business opportunities and best practices, and it will undoubtedly facilitate a seamless integration.
With a clear focus on growth, one of the key attributes of this acquisition is Cellular Solutions’ outstanding relationships with O2 and Vodafone, together with its exceptional customer retention rate. The acquisition will further enhance Focus Group’s partnerships with the UK’s most prominent networks and solidify its market position as a leading provider of business mobile solutions.
Ralph Gilbert, Co-Founder & Director at Focus Group stated: “We’ve been knocking on Cellular’s door for years, clear in the knowledge it was a strong business and one with which we wanted to join forces. In a bid to win them over, I even let them triumph in the odd lockdown Zoom quiz. Well that’s my side of the story! In all seriousness, beyond their distinct dedication to business communications and enviable reputation in the South East, they’re arguably one of the best teams out there and our long-standing friendship will provide the perfect foundation for an exciting future together.”
Damian Mottram, Founder and CEO at Cellular Solutions added: “Whilst it was never going to be an easy decision to sell such an incredible, high-quality mobile and fixed telecoms business that we and so many wonderful past and present people have poured energies into since 1999, the time is right and it has been the correct decision to head into the future with Focus Group. We have a deep-rooted respect for the Focus team; there has been a commonality of engagement and enjoyment in working within our marketplace combined with all-around long-standing positive relationships. We have absolutely no doubt they will take very good care of our people and our customers.”
Focus Group, established in 2003, is proud to be one of the UK’s leading providers of essential business technology. With its vision of connecting communities and creating opportunities in a place that people love to work, Focus Group deliver innovative technology solutions, so its customers are free to focus all their energy on the important stuff. Like growing their business.
With a team of over 1000 experts who are passionate about what they do, Focus Group provide over 27,500 businesses with an extensive range of the latest technology solutions across Telecoms, IT, Cyber Security, Connectivity, Mobile and Energy.
Cellular Solutions have been dedicated to delivering business communication services and mobile solutions since 1999. Partnering with the UK’s leading business-to-business telecoms providers, its highly experienced team deliver innovative, robust and cost-effective solutions to help their customers stay ahead of the competition.