OAM Computer Group, a CDN top 100 solution provider for 2003, has augmented its hardware and voice offerings with professional services after acquiring Toronto-based Malibu Computer Systems Inc.
Marc Wayne, managing partner and co-founder of OAM, said the company wanted to build a services practice
after developing voice/telephony expertise for its go to market strategy and Malibu was a good fit.
With the Malibu acquisition, OAM can now offer network integration services along with network design, which was Malibu’s specialty.
Malibu will also add to OAM’s current Microsoft infrastructure service abilities.
“”We want to target their mid-size account with new voice solution and offer them hardware capability and a true total solution sell,”” he said.
Wayne did not want to disclose the amount paid for Malibu, but said the deal would inch OAM closer to become a $10 million (in revenue) VAR.
According to the CDN top 100 solution provider survey, OAM ranked 72nd with revenues between $8-12 million.
Also key to this deal was Malibu’s MITS system. MITS stands for Malibu IT Systems and it can track in great detail services and projects for various clients. It also can track profitability on a project basis and on an individual technician basis.
Currently, OAM is tweaking the MITS system for their own accounting system.
OAM, which has built a strategic voice and telephony division, will begin to provide full converged IT solutions to Malibu’s customers include VOIP, Wayne said.
“”Malibu clients can now take advantage of a true full services VAR with OAM’s premier status with majors vendors for hardware and software,”” Wayne said.
He added that OAM is in acquisition mode and through the Malibu deal has put in place a formula to acquire smaller services firm or VARs who are interested in an exit strategy to monetize their efforts to date.
Malibu co-founders Tony Compagnoni and Sailesh Patel are currently working with OAM during the transition phase and doing some on-going consulting. The plan, according to Compagnoni, will be to break free after the transition phase.
“”We are just expanding our options and the acquisition was one option. OAM was a good fit on the hardware side. We did do (hardware) but it was not our focus,”” Compagnoni said.
