Integris Acquires Two More MSPs To Build Nationwide MSSP

‘We are looking to be a premium MSSP. This means not just helping clients with security, but also with compliance. It’s not good enough to be the computer guy any more. You need depth in security and compliance as table stakes for working with premium clients,’ says Integris CEO Rashaad Bajwa.

National managed service provider Integris Monday said it has acquired two more smaller MSPs in a bid to both build out its geographic footprint and significantly enhance its ability to provide managed security services.

Integris has acquired Blue Jean Networks, a Fort Worth, Texas-based MSP, and Security7 Networks, a managed security services provider (MSSP) based in the Boston area, marking the sixth and seventh acquisitions for Integris, said Rashaad Bajwa, CEO at the Austin, Texas-based MSP.

“We’ve been busy,” Bajwa told CRN. “And we have more in the pipeline.”

[Related: MSPs And Private Equity: What Makes An MSP Stand Out From The Pack?]

Both acquisitions will help expand Integris’ managed security services offerings, including its virtual CISO (chief information security officer) capabilities, Bajwa said.

Blue Jean Networks in particular brings Integris capabilities related to cybersecurity maturity model certification, or CMMC, which is a U.S. Department of Defense program that is becoming increasingly important when working on government contracts, Bajwa said.

“Blue Jean Networks specializes in CMMC,” he said. “It’s very, very attractive to us because for new requirements coming down the road to ensure government and Department of Defense contractors remain compliant.”

Security7 Networks, on the other hand, brings multiple cybersecurity capabilities and the ability to expand Integris’ vCISO services and capabilities, Bajwa said.

“This is our first MSSP (managed security service provider) acquisition,” he said. “We’ve had managed security services before, but Security7 brings additional capabilities, footprint, services, and technology. It complements our existing managed services. We have great talent related to SonicWall and WatchGuard Technologies practices, and Security7 is one of Fortinet’s biggest partners.”

In addition, Security7 marks Integris’ first step into the New England market, he said.

The acquisitions are part of a larger plan to make Integris a premier managed security services provider, Bajwa said.

“We are looking to be a premium MSSP,” he said. “This means not just helping clients with security, but also with compliance. It’s not good enough to be the computer guy any more. You need depth in security and compliance as table stakes for working with premium clients.”

Bajwa declined to discuss terms of the acquisitions.

The two acquisitions will add 40 to 50 people to Integris, bringing total headcount to around 500 people, he said.

Integris started out as Domain, and in September of 2020 was recapitalized via an investment from Frontenac, a Chicago-based private equity company. With that investment, the company changed its name to Integris and became an MSP platform company, which is when an MSP is acquired as a way to acquire other MSPs to build a national presence.

Since then, Integris has acquired Maryland-based Tier1 Technology Partners, midwestern U.S.-based Compudyne, Atlanta-based Providyn, Texas-based MyITPros, and Iconic IT with offices in Texas, New York, Colorado, and Kansas.

And there’s more to come, Bajwa said.

“We have some really big ones coming down the pike with hundreds of employees before the end of the year,” he said. “It will get us to over 700 people.”

The key with all Integris’ acquisitions is looking for the right companies and people, Bajwa said.

“These are not just run-of-the-mill MSPs,” he said. “We look for best-in-class MSPs in their territories. The story of a premium, people-focused MSP resonates. The owners of these MSPs who are looking for an exit don’t want to send their clients to just anyone. And most of the owners of those MSPs are still with us.”

Focus Investment Banking’s Managed Service Provider (MSP) Team was the exclusive financial advisor to Security7 in the transaction. Focus also served as the exclusive financial advisor to Integris in its original 2020 “platform” transaction with Frontenac.