Academia acquires MSP Smartdesc to bolster its services growth

Academia, a leading provider of IT solutions for the UK’s Education, Public Sector and Business markets, has acquired Smartdesc, the award-winning IT services company specialising in the non-profit sector. This is a strategic move that will further strengthen Academia’s Technical Services portfolio and expand capabilities in Managed Services.

  • Sunday, 10th November 2024 Posted 1 year ago in by Phil Alsop

Smartdesc is a hybrid company with flexi-offices in central London, and staff based across the UK and Europe. With a turnover of £9m and 80 employees, it’s predominantly an MSP with sales across Microsoft Hardware/Software and Cyber . The acquisition will help Academia vastly improve its certification levels with new vendors.

Andrew Harman, Owner, Academia Group commented: “This acquisition is a significant milestone as we continue to deliver against our strategy for growth and expansion. We're bucking trends at Academia and acquiring Smartdesc, with its expertise and leadership, is a major step in broadening our customer propositions and delivering even more value to customers."

Strategic benefits of the acquisition:

• Enhances service portfolio: Smartdesc’s strengths are in IT strategy, IT Helpdesk, Infrastructure, Data Security, Cyber, Azure & 365 management.

• Unlocks new growth avenues: Combining the complementary offerings of both companies will fuel innovation, promote knowledge-sharing, and create fresh opportunities for growth.

• Accelerates market expansion: Smartdesc opens up new opportunities for Academia in the third sector, enabling the company to deliver its propositions into the non-profit space.

• Strengthens a shared company culture: With aligned values and goals, both companies will unite ensuring a seamless transition and providing its people, customers and partners with an exceptional experience.

Mark McCormack, Managing Director of Academia, said “Welcoming Smartdesc into the Academia Group aligns perfectly with our long-term growth strategy, providing a tremendous opportunity to scale our support and managed services as well as strengthen our cyber security and infrastructure divisions. By combining talent, portfolios and market opportunities, we're on track to shape the future of IT solutions and services with greater innovation and value for our people, customers and partners. We’re excited to welcome the Smartdesc team on board.”

Cognizant to acquire Astreya

Posted 2 days ago by Phil Alsop
Acquisition will expand Cognizant's AI builder technology stack with production-grade AI operations capabilities.

Integris TO Acquire MSP First Focus

Posted 2 days ago by Phil Alsop
Future-ready managed IT services provider advances long-term growth strategy, with first international acquisition.
inforcer introduces Copilot Manager to support MSPs in delivering AI services, including features related to monitoring and managing Shadow AI usage.
Guardz outlines how AI is influencing cybersecurity, with the report highlighting identity-related issues and vulnerabilities affecting MSPs, based...

Kaseya launches Agentic IT management platform

Posted 5 days ago by Sophie Milburn
Kaseya has introduced an autonomous IT management system that uses AI and unified data to support IT operations and security management.
Westcon-Comstor has integrated its value-added services into the Microsoft Marketplace, aiming to support partner operations and improve scalability.

Opus Technology achieves B Corp certification

Posted 5 days ago by Sophie Milburn
Opus Technology has earned B Corp status, joining a global community aiming for ethical and sustainable business practices.
Nebula Global Services has achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification, confirming independently assessed cyber security controls across its...