GFI acquires the Application-Services division of Computacenter Belgium
GFI BeLux continues to strengthen market position around collaboration
Leuven/ Wavre/Gent/Luxembourg, 20th September 2010 – GFI, the European IT services company with a Belgian e-process solutions competence centre announces the acquisition of the Application Services division of Computacenter Belgium. This division mainly focuses on supporting the IBM Lotus platform. GFI acquires the personnel, the corresponding expertise, and the customers. After the partnership with Open Source player Liferay is this GFI’s second step to strengthen their market position in the area of collaboration.
Largest Lotus expert group in Belux
GFI is with 100 Lotus customers and more than 170.000 seats in Belux the largest Lotus professional expert group today. With the take-over of the Lotus activities of Computacenter Belgium, the company adds about 40 new customers to its customer base. The Computacenter collaboration customers can henceforth count on the expertise and the support of a European collaboration specialist. GFI Belux also acquires the personnel of the Computacenter Lotus division.
Pascal Meyers, CEO of GFI Benelux clarifies the acquisition: “More and more companies today wonder about how to continue with their present collaboration platform: to upgrade, to migrate to a ‘standard’ solution, or to use cloud solutions for certain aspects? We want to support companies with these questions, as well in length (advice regarding the strategy to follow), as in depth (execution of collaboration projects in different technologies). How? By uniquely coupling our Lotus expertise with (international) project management and a product vendor independent vision on the future of the collaboration market”.
Lieven Bergmans, Managing Director Computacenter Belgium and the Netherlands explains: “Computacenter’s international strategy is built around infrastructure services and solutions. With regard to our Lotus activities it seemed obvious to look for a strategic partner with a strong focus on application services. That partner is GFI. They will continue to guarantee the high quality of our application services towards our customers.”
Ambition for growth in the collaboration market
The acquisition fits in with the ambition of GFI Belux to become the largest specialised integrator on the collaboration market – with regard to consultancy as well as implementation, and ‘running’ the platforms. Meyers illustrates: “According to us, the collaboration market exists –next to emerging cloud solutions- around three important technology suppliers: Open Source, IBM, and Microsoft. GFI will further build its portfolio of collaboration services and products around these three technologies and around the cloud. The acquisition today is after our partnership with Open Source actor Liferay the second logical step in our strategy to reinforce our market position on the collaboration market, but it will not be the last…”.
If you would like to have more information, please contact
Tom Herbots, Marketing Manager at GFI: 016 38 11 65 or tom.herbots@gfi.be
About GFI
GFI is an information technology service provider. The originally French company is specialised in the optimisation and integration, of business processes, the integration of company solutions, and Internet solutions. GFI is present in 10 countries with about 10.000 employees, 11 competence centres, 2 software factories, and 3 off-shore centres. The overall revenue was 663.6 million Euros on 31/12/2009. In Belgium, GFI has about 150 employees, and offices in Haasrode-Leuven, Wavre, and Gent.
For more information: www.gfi.be
About Computacenter
Computacenter is one of Europe’s largest IT infrastructure service providers. The company assists its customers with the optimisation of their IT infrastructure by offering a broad portfolio of services. Computacenter is an IT strategy consultant, implements the best suited technology from a broad product portfolio based on leading vendors, and manages partially or completely customer’s IT infrastructure. On every level Computacenter assists its customers in reducing costs and maximise IT investments. Computacenter can rely on its own European network, and an international partner network.
For more information: www.computacenter.be