Advania UK has announced that it has completed the acquisition of CCS Media it announced on 10th October. The combination creates a Microsoft Partner with revenues of £1.4 billion and over 5,000 professionals in Northern Europe.
CCS Media brings over 500 sales and service professionals and £283 million (in 2023) revenues to Advania. Headquartered in Chesterfield and with 12 locations in total, CCS Media adds more locations to Advania. Thus bringing the total to more than 20. There may be some consolidation in terms of offices over time.
Geoff Kneen, CEO of Advania UK, commented, “This is a game changer in the UK market. Alongside our recent acquisition of Servium, this deal represents a tremendous opportunity with two highly complementary and trusted businesses consolidating as a long-term strategic technology partner for our clients.”
The combination of these organisations brings together and strengthens partner relationships with Microsoft, Cisco and Dell. CCS Media also brings significant relationships with HPE, Lenovo and Logitech as well as numerous others. The combination of this partner ecosystem will create benefits for clients who can benefit from the expanded company’s relationship with these hardware and software vendors.
Kneen added, “We are now capable of offering unparalleled choice, value for money, and experience when it comes to identifying, procuring and implementing the right technology solutions for our clients.
“Alongside a wide array of leading vendors and partners we will accelerate business outcomes and help ambitious organisations to deliver on their transformation agendas through leading technology and unparalleled expertise. We are delighted to welcome the CCS Media team to the Advania group and look forward to building upon our shared heritage.”
CCS Media
CCS Media customers will benefit from the expanded and deeper relationship that Advania has with Microsoft. Advania UK is a top-tier Microsoft cloud transformation and AI enablement partner. It holds all six cloud solution designations, twelve specialisations and Azure Expert MSP status.
In the original announcement, CCS Media CEO Terry Betts commented, “The CCS Media Leadership Team is immensely excited to unite forces with Advania UK. And extend an even greater depth of expertise and services to our loyal customers across the UK.
“CCS Media was on a journey to develop more comprehensive solution offerings for our customers, and the transaction will hugely accelerate this trajectory. This partnership will also benefit our employees, offering wider opportunities for growth and development at such an exciting time in the industry.
What isn’t clear is what role Betts and the other senior leaders will have within Advania. Betts will likely step back, having led CCS Media for over 25 years.
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
Consolidation in the tech services sector is nothing new. However, this deal places two significant companies together. This is just the latest acquisition by Advania AB. A portfolio company of Goldman Sachs, the firm is swiftly expanding and becoming one of the largest IT services companies in Northern Europe.
With this acquisition, it is now strong in both the UK and across the Nordics. The CCS Media acquisition follows that of Servium in June, a UK-based IT solutions provider.
It will be interesting to see how quickly the firm looks to expand into other European countries, such as Germany and France.
