Deloitte strengthens tech offering through JKVine deal
Big Four professional services firm Deloitte has completed the purchase of Australian technology consultancy JKVine, as the firm bids to strengthen its technological consulting capabilities. Deloitte will now bid to create a new platform test and optimisation unit within its consulting outfit.
Founded in 1998, JKVine is a technology consultancy that specialises chiefly in ensuring that new or upgraded computer systems perform well and are secure prior to the systems being made available for use. They also monitor and improve the performance of systems that are already in operation. With offices in Sydney and Melbourne, JKVine has made a name for itself in the local market with its performance engineering and testing for business systems – building a team of experts over 30-strong throughout the following 19 years. The business now includes Micro Focus, Riverbed, Dynatrace and AppDynamics, among others, as its vendor partners, along with claiming blue-chip customers such as MLC, Officeworks, the New South Wales State Government, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).
The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. However, Deloitte’s purchase of the firm will now see JKVine’s 30-plus team move into Deloitte’s Melbourne and Sydney offices, while the company’s four owners, Nick Singh, Dave Melgaard, Brad Cunningham and John Strumila, will join Deloitte Consulting as Principals. Similarly, last year when Deloitte acquired system integrator Sixtree, two of the founders of the 45-person firm were brought on as Partners. JKVine's Nick Singh described the deal as “a natural evolution in our relationship,” following the firms collaborating successfully on earlier projects. “It also offers our people more career development opportunities, which is really important to us,” Singh added.
Collectively, the JKVine team will now form the basis of the new platform test and optimisation unit that Deloitte plan to place within their platform engineering practice, led by Partner and Platform Engineering Lead, Clifford Foster. The acquisition is geared toward enabling the new practice to grow within the market, working to help clients to design, build, run and optimise technology-based platforms. “With the first-class talent of JKVine’s team, we can deliver superior value to our clients and the broader market to ensure platforms perform optimally, securely and flexibly,” Clifford Foster said.
Deloitte Consulting Managing Partner Robert Hillard meanwhile added that the move was part of an effort to "offer a true end-to-end technology implementation experience for our clients."
The new platform test and optimisation unit will be the latest technological addition to Deloitte’s global capabilities. In Spring 2017, the group announced the launch of a new aviation technology practice in the UK. The new division is aimed at supporting the aviation industry in tackling key technology opportunities and challenges, as the global market continues to expand.
Elsewhere, Deloitte was rocked by a hacking scandal in Autumn. Details emerged in September that the world’s largest cybersecurity advisory had been the victims of a breach which may have lasted as long as six months – resulting in the potential compromise of information belonging to multiple US governmental departments. The firm is presently under investigation by the New York State Attorney, as a result.
