Datatec today celebrated the 20th anniversary of its listing on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE), and announced its latest intended acquisition of German services and solution provider Inforsacom.
Datatec was set up in South Africa 29 years ago. It first listed on the JSE on 2 December 1994, and today opened trading with CEO Jens Montanana blowing the Kudu horn.
Today it is a global ICT solutions and services group with revenues of more than $6-billion, more than 7 500 employees worldwide and operates in more than 60 countries. It is also listed on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.
The group operates in three principal areas of the ICT industry: technology; integration; and consulting.
Westcon group is a global distributor of advance networking, security and unified communications products. Logicalis offers ICT infrastructure and solutions; Consulting Service comprises Analysys Mason, Mason Advisory and Via Group, providing strategic and technical consulting.
Montanana remembers how, 20 years ago, South Africa held its first universal suffrage elections; and Datatec decided to list.
Among the highlights of the last two decades were the creation of one of South Africa’s first ISPs in 1985 through the acquisition of Internet Africa, which Datatec developed into UUnet and eventually sold to Worldcom.
In 1998, the group trasnformted Datatec into a holding company, pursuing business through the Westcon and Logicalis brands.
“In the past 20 years we have concluded more than 50 M&As,” Montanana says. “It’s perhaps significant that today we are announcing the acquisition of Inforsacom in Germany, which will extend Logicalis position in that market.”
Logicalis has signed agreements to acquire 100% of the issued share capital of Inforsacom, which provides database, storage and infrastructure solutions and services. The company has operations across the major economic centres of Germany, about 160 staff members and an annual turnover of approximately $140-million.
Montanana adds: “The acquisition of Inforsacom creates a larger platform with broader ICT services capabilities to augment Logicalis’ existing German operations, in line with the strategy of growing our presence in Europe.”
The acquisition is subject to the approval by the German Competition Authorities and the South African Reserve Bank and is expected to be finalised in January 2015.