Five Companies That Came To Win This Week

Imation Buys Nexsan In $120 Million Storage Deal

Imation acquired Nexsan, a move that will help significantly widen the company's storage solutions to include disk-based and flash storage-based technology.

The $120 million acquisition of Nexsan gives Oakdale, Minn.-based Imation, which is better known for its archiving and backup storage business, a huge 11,000-plus customer base and an active partner base as it looks to expand its storage footprint.

Under Imation, Nexsan will be run as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Imation headed by current Nexsan CEO Philip Black. Operations will continue to be managed from Nexsan's existing Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based headquarters.

Avnet Acquires Professional Services Firm TSSLink

Avnet has agreed to acquire Technical Services & Support Link, an IT professional services firm that provides technical support, consulting and outsourcing services, field product installation, end-user training and technical staff augmentation, according to Avnet.

TSSLink assists other solution providers with consulting for storage and virtualization solutions, including order management, field installation, configuration and implementation.

Avnet has made several services acquisitions in the last year, most recently Pepperweed Consulting.

Vology Nabs Bayshore Technologies

Tampa-area Solution Provider 500 companies Vology and Bayshore Technologies are combining to create a "hybrid super VAR" expected to hit more than $140 million in 2013 revenue.

Financial terms of the deal, which was effective Dec. 28, weren't provided. The new company will be called Vology, with the Bayshore moniker attached to the company's professional services delivery business. The company will have about 200 employees, and Barry Shevlin, Vology's CEO and founder, will stay put, while Bayshore CEO Peter Anderson (pictured) will become Vology's senior vice president.

Trend Micro, Tech Data Partner To Simplify Account Management

Simplified account management for MSPs is at the core of a new platform integration agreement between Tech Data and Trend Micro.

The two companies are currently integrating Trend Micro's Licensing Management Platform (LMP) into Tech Data's Solutions Store as part of an effort to ensure accurate and streamlined billing and provisioning for MSPs selling cloud-based SaaS security products.

"Each MSP typically bears the burden of auditing their end-users' usage, drawing up a purchase order that includes all that usage and then passing all that information through distribution," said Bharath Natarajan, director of product marketing at Tech Data.

Heartland Technology Solutions Sold To WesTel Systems

Heartland Technology Solutions, a Harlan, Iowa-based VAR led by highly-regarded CEO Arlin Sorensen, has been sold to WesTel Systems for an undisclosed amount, according to Sorensen.

Heartland will continue to operate under the HTS banner as a division of its new parent company, West Iowa Technology. HTS President Connie Arentson and Vice President of Sales Larry Hedin will continue to work for HTS, while Sorensen and several other executives, including COO Jane Cage, will serve in an advisory capacity through a transition period, according to Heartland.

"This transition will give me more time to focus on a new consulting practice to help other MSPs and IT vendors (Heartland Leadership Group) and will give Jane freedom to pursue other interests," said Sorenson.