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Giacom adds Inform Billing to bolster cloud services
Firm makes acquisition to add further depth to the tools it can provide its channel partners
Giacom has dipped its toes back into M&A waters to add further scope to the cloud services the firm can provide to managed service providers (MSPs).
The cloud and comms player has picked up Inform Billing, which specialises in billing solutions used by MSPs and resellers, and will be adding it to the options available in its Cloud Market Tools portfolio.
The deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, will provide Giacom with an independent billing solution that should help partners as they look to take advantage of tools that increase efficiency.
The deal also includes Inform Analytics, Inform Billing’s business intelligence solution, which can provide partners with insights into their revenue streams and customer behaviour.
There are also expectations of cross-sell opportunities, with Giacom able to present its cloud tools to Inform Billing’s customer base.
“As SMBs [small and medium-sized businesses] increasingly seek strategic partners for all their technology needs, our partners have a tremendous opportunity to accelerate their growth by becoming a one-stop shop,” said Terry O’Brien, CEO at Giacom.
“Our goal is to make it easy for partners to become that trusted advisor, monetise new services quickly, and scale efficiently,” he said. “The addition of Inform Billing’s expertise strengthens our Cloud Market Tools ecosystem and provides partners with deeper insights into their revenue streams, supporting growth in both revenue and profitability.”
Combined expertise
In response, Shaun Bodsworth, founder and managing director of Inform Billing, said it would benefit from joining forces with Giacom. “With our combined expertise, we can deliver unparalleled service and support to partners,” he said.
“This partnership also brings substantial investment that will accelerate the R&D of our solutions, enabling partners to benefit even more from advanced business intelligence and revenue analysis.”
Giacom is no stranger to using acquisition as a means of extending the services it can offer, and picked up intY from US player ScanSource in December 2023 to bolster its Microsoft cloud position.
The business has been looking to improve its UK market position, and O’Brien told MicroScope last summer that it wanted to ensure it had the breadth to make it a managed services powerhouse.
“Channel partners are so much more than resellers,” he said. “They are evolving into digital MSPs and trusted technology experts for UK small businesses. Partners were increasingly wanting a one-stop shop with cloud services alongside telecoms.
“In a couple of years, more than half our business will be cloud software sales,” said O’Brien. “In Giacom we have a known and trusted, 100% channel cloud brand that will help position us as a high-growth, cloud-first platform company. It’s a journey the channel needs to go on.”
