French IT services company Atos has agreed to buy communications firm Unify for 340m euros in a bid to expand into the unified comms market.
Atos said the deal would enable it to create an “integrated proposition” around unified communications and real time capabilities “enhancing social collaboration, digital transformation, and business performance of its clients”.
Atos, of which 12 percent is owned by Siemens, said that the deal was subject to regulatory approvals, but could be finalised in the first quarter of next year.
Unify was started as a joint venture between the Gores Group (51 percent) and Siemens (49 percent) and active mainly in Europe and in the Americas. It has 5600 employees and active in over 60 countries and generates €1.2bn revenue. The firm was founded in 2008 as Siemens Enterprise Communication and headquartered in Munich.
“The contemplated acquisition of Unify will increase our offerings for the digital transformation for our customers,” says Thierry Breton, chairman and CEO of Atos.
“They are looking for seamless services solutions for their entire digital portfolio and a reliable partner that can service their needs end-to-end. Unify portfolio and customer base is a perfect match that uniquely complements existing Atos digital capabilities.”
Joe Kaeser, president and CEO of Siemens AG says that he is “convinced” that Atos is the solution to a “sustainable future of Unify and its customers”.
“Atos is a proven and a trustful partner and a specialist for successful integration of acquisitions. At the same time, we are diligently executing on our Vision 2020, focusing our business and position Siemens along the value chain of electrification, automation and digitalisation,” he adds.
Unify has been active in the channel and as recent as June, it confirmed that it was heading towards a channel-only strategy, after setting out a goal of becoming a “channel-first” vendor a year earlier following a reboot of its programme. It has also been looking to increase the number of partners it has on its roster and recently added Scansource as a distie.
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