Vox Telecom buys 2 African technology consulting firms
African telecom player Vox Telecom has acquired two technology consulting and business applications firms: Two IT and Computer Initiatives (CI), to boost its consulting services. The two firms will form a new division within Vox Telecom and will be led by the management of Two IT and CI. Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.
Vox Telecom is an African telecoms operator that provides voice, data and collaboration services to the Southern African market. The company was established in 1998, and has offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and in Windhoek, Namibia. As part of its growth and differentiation strategy, and in line with the objective to expand its consulting services, Vox Telecom has acquired the technology consulting firms Two IT and Computer Initiatives. “The acquisition of both Two IT and CI enables us to add a layer of consulting services and business applications, particularly in the Microsoft environment, to our current stack for medium and enterprise-size customers,” says Jacques Du Toit, CEO of Vox Telecom.
Two IT is specialised in consulting services, analysing, designing, implementing and supporting ERP and CRM environments, particularly Microsoft Dynamics’ ERP, CRM and related IT Technologies. Computer Initiatives (CI) is a computer solutions provider specialised in accounting system solutions, providing support and implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, with a focus on the implementation and support of Microsoft Dynamics GP systems.
The two consulting firms will merge and form a new division within Vox Telecom with have a strong focus on consulting services. “Combined with Vox Cloud, we are now able to offer affordable ERP and CRM solutions to businesses that have traditionally not been able to afford investment in these systems. Something we have been looking to do for a while now,” adds Du Toit.
As part of the deal, the existing management of the two consulting firms will be secured. The new division will be led by the founder of Two IT, Heath Huxtable. “We have always taken a consultative approach to working with our customers to develop managed service solutions tailored to their needs. The decision to partner with Vox Telecom was borne out of the very positive working relationship we already have, and the potential for both parties to expand their services offerings to a bigger market,” comments Huxtable. The Business Development team will be headed by Computer Initiatives Managing Director, Ronald Laxton, who adds: “Developing simple solutions to address complex problems is what the Computer Initiatives business was built on – this acquisition enables us to expand this reach beyond Gauteng, to do the same for companies across the country.”
Acquisition target
Vox Telecom has also been subject to acquisition rumours of its own, when in June 2014 the company invited other companies to look into acquiring the telecoms operator. According to Du Toit, the search for a potential buyer is 60% complete; Reunert, Altron and Seacom are rumoured to have interest.
