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Kerv deepens Microsoft expertise with Inciper buy
Kerv’s acquisition is its first struck since the managed services player attracted a fresh backer earlier this year
Managed services player Kerv has bolstered its Microsoft capabilities with the acquisition of Inciper.
The addition of the Microsoft-focused consultancy will deepen the ability to support Dynamics 365 environments and provide more business services and data analytics.
Inciper comes with 75 practitioners who will swell Kerv’s digital transformation practice and give the combined entity an opportunity to go after more customers from the mid-market, large enterprises and public sector.
Kerv’s executive chair Alastair Mills said that the founders of Inciper had built a solid business with a leading reputation in the Microsoft Dynamics market.
“We know there is a strong cultural alignment between the teams and, together, we’ll focus on achieving our mission of helping organisations harness the power of technology for the good of our people, our customers, our society and our planet,” he said.
In response, Mark Roberts, Inciper’s co-founder, said that the acquisition was a recognition of the strength of the business.
“We are incredibly proud of what Inciper has become over the past eight years and, from the very first conversation with the Kerv team, we recognised that we’d found a kindred spirit, with such close alignment in many areas including the importance of customer and employee experience,” he said.
“That, combined with the excellent capability fit across the two companies, means we are really excited about what the future holds for Inciper within the Kerv Group,” he added.
A large portion of the funding for the deal – the terms of which were not disclosed – came from Kerv’s backer Bridgepoint (BDC), which got involved with the MSP at the start of the year.
Robin Lawson, partner at Bridgepoint Development Capital, said that this was the first deal it had supported since it got involved with the MSP, and would give Kerv access to more market opportunities.
The investment specialist made it clear when it backed Kerv that it was prepared to finance growth, help the MSP extend its reach across the UK, and tap into opportunities that were being sparked by customer digital transformation efforts.
“Inciper is a highly complementary first acquisition for Kerv since our investment earlier in 2024, enhancing its specialist capabilities within the high growth Dynamics and data space. Inciper’s expertise will allow Kerv to continue winning large and complex transformations, further positioning the business as a leading digital transformation partner in the UK,” he said.
Kerv is not a stranger to using M&A as a means of expanding its skills and customer base. With the support of its previous majority backer LDC, it has struck a few deals over the past couple of years, including CloudThing back in 2021.
There are signs that MSPs are striking deals ahead of a busy Q4 to strengthen their market positions, with iomart also taking steps in the M&A market earlier this week.
