These IT Services Firms Were The Most Acquisitive In Q3 2023

From Accenture to The 20 MSP and Fulcrum IT Partners, here are IT services companies that did the most acquiring in Q3.

Although overall M&A deals have dropped in 2023 compared to the previous two years, the levels mirror those of pre-pandemic transactions.

M&A deals declined 25 percent from Q3 2022 to Q3 2023 but are almost on par with quarterly pre-pandemic levels. There were 125 MSP M&A deals in Q1 of 2020 while there were 128 in Q3 of this year, according to John Holland, managing director of Corporate Finance Associates.

Laguna Hills, Calif.-based Corporate Finance Associates is an investment banking firm with decades of experience in executing mergers and acquisitions in the IT and telecom services industries.

“I would have thought that the number of deals would have declined when the interest rates peaked,” he said. “It just tells you that IT services is a really hot space and that acquirers are still very interested and eager to acquire all different types of IT services businesses, even when the interest rates are high.

“I don’t know when interest rates will start dipping, but I think the consensus in Wall Street is interest rates will start declining sometime next year,” he added. “I think it will just open the gates to an enormous amount of M&A activity in the IT services space.”

While many companies only pulled over one to two M&A deals in Q3, one company that doesn’t seem to be slowing down is Accenture. The Dublin, Ireland-based solutions provider have five M&A deals in Q3 with companies such as Strongbow Consulting and Optimind.

Check out the IT services firms that executed the most M&A deals in Q3 of 2023, according to data from Corporate Finance Associates. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

BlueAlly

Number of Q3 Acquisitions: 2

In July, Cary, N.C.-based BlueAlly acquired Atlanta-based B2B Technologies, a Microsoft Gold partner specializing in the integration of cloud operations.

“This acquisition underscores our continuing dedication to reinventing the value-added reseller model,” George Barkley, CEO of BlueAlly, said in a statement. This deal brings together the best minds in the industry, and I expect it to result in heightened value for all our clients.“

In August, BlueAlly acquired Irvine, Calif.-based Strata Consulting, a consulting firm specializing in security, compliance, DevOps, and AWS cloud services.

“The inclusion of Strata into the BlueAlly portfolio allows us to comprehensively address our clients’ requirements spanning IT, application, and security domains,” David Coulter, CTO of BlueAlly, said in a statement.

Bluewave Technology

Number of Q3 Acquisitions: 2

In July, Parsippany, N.J.-based Bluewave Technology acquired Virginia Beach, Va.-based telecom advisory agency OnCall Telecom.

“With nearly 15 years of strategic advisory experience, OnCall brings valuable expertise to Bluewave and shares our unwavering dedication to customer-centric solutions,” said Seth Penland, founder and CEO of Bluewave, in a statement.

In September, Bluewave acquired Louisville, K.Y.-based J.I.L. Communications Inc.

“Bringing 24 years of strategic advisory experience and key healthcare clients, JIL boosts not only our presence but also strengthens our team in Kentucky,” Penland said in a statement. “With the inclusion of the JIL team, we further enhance Bluewave’s technical excellence and operational capabilities.”

Fulcrum IT Partners

Number of Q3 Acquisitions: 2

In July, Toronto-based Fulcrum IT Partners announced the acquisition of Ottawa, Canada-based Stoneworks Technologies to offer expand its services coast to coast in Canada, with its eyes set on AI in the future.

The acquisition of Stoneworks expanded Fulcrum’s vertical specialization in the public sector, which includes departments and agencies within the Canadian federal government.

“Every acquisition we go after has something in common, which is incredible culture, and it all comes down to the person leading the company,” Kyle Lanzinger, president of U.S. and Canada at Fulcrum, told CRN at the time. “The capability that they bring to Canada is quite exciting for us. It’s very complementary to our existing business and it’s incredibly complementary [as it] adds Canada’s largest customer which is the Canadian federal government.”

In September, Fulcrum completed its fourth global acquisition this year, buying F3 Technology Partners, beefing up Fulcrum’s presence in the healthcare and financial services verticals.

West Hartford, Conn.-based F3, which was on CRN’s 2022 MSP 500 list, will bring over about 30 employees in the acquisition.

“[They’re] focusing on outcome-based solutions for our customers versus just selling them technology,” Kelly Carter, chief strategy officer of Fulcrum, told CRN at the time.“We want partners who have that close relationship with their customers and we can build on that and bring them solutions that really work for them versus selling them a technology product.”

Net at Work

Number of Q3 Acquisitions: 2

In October, New York-based Net at Work acquired two companies, Stamford,Conn.-based NexVue and Newport Beach, Calif.-based PMO Systems.

“Joining forces with Net at Work gave me the ability to do more for my customers,” Chris Cleary, founder of ProServe Solutions and current Acumatica practice director, Net at Work, said in a statement. “Our Acumatica users now have access to a host of next-generation solutions and industry and technological expertise to truly help them unleash the power of their business, while giving our employees far greater opportunities to develop their career pathway.”

“We are excited to welcome the employees and customers of PMO Solutions to the Net at Work team,” said Net at Work Co-President Alexander Solomon in a statement. “As a leading technology advisor, we are in strong alignment with the clear vision PMO Solutions has for its future and are well positioned to support and evolve that vision to help employees and customers unleash their full potential.”

Sourcepass

Number of Q3 Acquisitions: 2

In early October, New York-based Sourcepass acquired its ninth and tenth companies, in 18 months, Pittsfield, Mass.-based CompuWorks and Atlanta, Ga.-based A.D.B. Services, Inc.

“The CompuWorks acquisition makes us the largest and best managed service and security provider in Western Massachusetts,” said Chuck Canton, CEO and founder of Sourcepass, in a statement. “We have extended our dedication by committing an additional $15 million to the region over the next five years to invigorate job creation and elevate community well-being.

“There are several clients currently experiencing rapid growth and share deep-rooted relationships with A.D.B.” Canton added. “We look forward to building upon this strong history backed by our deep service bench and obsession with delivering an experience client’s love.”

The Purple Guys

Number of Q3 Acquisitions: 2

Shreveport, La.-based The Purple Guys acquired two Texas-based MSPs in August. Advantex services clients in the Houston and Dallas markets and Herrod Technology has a long-tenured client base across the Dallas and Fort Worth markets.

“We remain highly focused on partnering with like-minded businesses with the same drive to provide market-leading technology solutions to the SMB community,” The Purple Guys CEO Kevin Cook said in a statement. “Our acquisition strategy follows a two-pronged approach: building scale and density within our core geographies and adding vertical and technical expertise to better serve our growing customer base. We are very intentional about where we plant our next flag, and we feel strongly that market density is the best way to provide superior service to our clients and expanded opportunities to our team.”

The 20 MSP

Number of Q3 Acquisitions: 2

In July, Plano, TX-based The 20 MSP acquired Knoxville, TN-based MSP Cirrus IT Solutions.

“Cirrus brings a lot to the table, including a first-rate team of motivated individuals who understand that the core of what we do is service,” The 20’s CEO and founder, Tim Conkle, said in a statement. “Their commitment to excellence impressed us from the get-go, and I’m confident that their in-depth knowledge of our industry will continue to help The 20 distinguish itself on the national stage.”

For its tenth acquisition this year, 23 in all, it acquired Saint Louis-based Inerva Technology Advisors.

“Adding Inerva to the team gives us a huge boost in terms of resources and expertise, especially in the healthcare industry,” Conkle said in a statement. ”We’re getting bigger because we want to get better, and this latest move will help us do exactly that.”

Accenture

Number of Q3 Acquisitions: 5

Dublin, Ireland solutions provider giant Accenture announced or completed five acquisitions in Q3.

In July, it completed the acquisition of Paris-based Optimind, an independent consulting firm that provides advisory services and solutions insurance firms, banks and large corporate clients. A team of 350 came over in the deal.

In July, Accenture acquired Ridgewood, N.J.-based Strongbow Consulting with is a data-driven advisory firm that helps organizations plan and execute technology transformation strategies. A team of 60 came over in the deal.

In August, Accenture acquired Australia-based ATI Solutions Group -- a consulting service provider in the mining, energy and rail industries -- to enhance Accenture’s capabilities in Western Australia. A team of 60 came over in the deal.

Also in August,Accenture completed the acquisition of New York and Santa Ana, Calif.-based Anser Advisory. Anser is an advisory and management company for infrastructure projects in the United States. About 920 employees working on private sector and state and local public projects within Anser came over in the deal.

In early September, Accenture acquired London-based Nautilus, a digital healthcare consultancy in the U.K. that specializes in Electronic Patient Record (EPR) solutions. The company joined Accenture’s Health Strategy & Consulting team in the U.K.

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