South African solution provider Dimension Data has given its global cloud computing strategy a kick-start with the acquisition of OpSource, an enterprise cloud services provider.
Based in Santa Clara, Calif. with 150 staff spread between the U.S., Ireland and India, OpSource is a hosting services provider that also helps companies resell cloud hosting services across geographies through its Cloud Partner Ecosystem. The company began a push deeper into the Canadian market last month through a partnership with Tenzing Managed IT Services. It also offers cloud automation technology and expertise to deploy hybrid and private clouds.
Dimension Data is already a major player in Canada as one of the country’s largest Cisco Systems partners, and Dimension Data Americas CEO Jere Brown said the OpSource acquisition is in line with its evolving cloud computing strategy, which has included similar acquisitions in Australia and Asia over the last year.
“Around the world we’re offering a set of cloud computing capabilities our clients need, and the demand from our clients has been great. We wanted to make sure we had the capabilities to offer our clients, and we found those capabilities in OpSource,” said Brown. “The clients we currently service in Canada now have a new set of offerings and competencies that give them new flexibility in managing cost efficiencies, allowing a trusted partner to help them along their journey to a new cloud architecture, and do it consistently across multiple geographies.”
In addition to the acquisition, Dimension Data has also created a new business unit, called Cloud Solutions, that will focus on cloud computing. For now it will primarily be the OpSource business, which will keep its current leadership and employees and report into Dimension Data’s CEO. Brown says the unit will provide services to existing channel partners and Dimension Data on a global basis.
“With Dimension Data, OpSource now has a channel of several thousand sales folks looking to build-out the channel in their organizations,” said Brown. “For us in North America, the capabilities will allow us to increase speed to market and differentiate from our direct competitors that don’t have those capabilities. Combine that with our other competencies in integration and across multiple areas and it’s a winning combination.”
While it will operate as a separate business unit, similar to other units focused on areas such as unified communications and advanced security, Brown said Dimension Data is focused on leveraging cloud offerings across all areas of its business.
“This will be an evolutionary path for our clients, who may be considering how to leverage cloud capabilities, what type of cloud, and what services they may potentially move to the cloud,” said Brown. “For us, it’s about figuring-out what our clients need. It’s a long-term, strategic play.”
Follow Jeff Jedras on Twitter: @JeffJedrasCDN.