In it’s fourth acquisition of the year, Claranet Group — the technology services provider — has acquired Dutch IT services provider Quinfox; a specialist in providing digital services for accountancy, healthcare and public sector organisations.
The increasingly common trend of tech M&A will strengthen — in this instance — Claranet’s market position in the Netherlands.
Netherlands-based Quinfox was founded in 1998 and provides a wide range of digital services, from Hosted Desktop, Managed Applications and Professional Services. The company, which has 20 staff, specialises in working with organisations in the healthcare, public sector and accountancy sectors, and counts some big names in its customer base, including Jeroen Bosch Ziekenhuis, Schipper Accountants en Belastingadviseurs, Swinhove and Veenman.
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Quinfox’s founders, Huub van den Bosch and Geert Mossink, will remain in situ within the newly-acquired company to capitalise on the growth opportunities it will bring. Geert Mossink retains an important management position within the organisation, serving as Service Director for Claranet Benelux.
Geert Mossink, co-founder of Quinfox, commented: “We are delighted to join forces with Claranet. Being part of a larger organisation with a broad portfolio of IT capabilities provides us with various benefits, giving us the opportunity to grow and provide our customers with access to more innovative services. We can now take far-reaching steps with optimum security and flexibility in our services.”
Huub van den Bosch, Quinfox’s co-founder, added: “Claranet is one of the most established and well-respected IT services providers in Europe and has a very strong footprint in the Netherlands. In our continuously growing market that is subject to constant change, it is important that we have the right resilience to maintain our position.”
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An ‘ambitious growth strategy’
Claranet is an IT services provider that specialises in application, hosting, network, communications and managed security services.
With an ambitious growth strategy, the Claranet Group has grown steadily in Europe over the past five years, both organically and by acquisition. The Group has annual revenues of over £325 million, employs more than 2,000 staff and works with over 6,500 customers across the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Italy and Brazil.
It’s global footprint has recently extended to the US and India with the acquisition of the cyber security firm, NotSoSecure.
Commenting on the acquisition, Wiebe Nauta, Managing Director of Claranet Benelux, said: “The collaboration with Quinfox gives Claranet the opportunity to strengthen its position in the Dutch market. We now have more than 125 employees in the Netherlands, a turnover of €20 million and a broad IT portfolio. Much like Claranet, Quinfox has cultivated excellent and long-lasting relationships with its customers, making it a great fit culturally. In the coming period we therefore plan to keep the existing operation intact and focus on the natural synergies of both organisations and the benefits of joining forces. This is great news for customers, who will benefit from our combined expertise and a wider range of services.”
