Jason Magee (ConnectWise)
ConnectWise has acquired Continuum in a market play designed to expand reach to technology solution providers (TSPs) amid a double acquisition spree.
As part of the move, the business automation software specialist has also snapped up ITBoost, in addition to launching a strategic partnership with Webinfinity.
Building on a strong managed service provider (MSP) heritage, the aim is to transition the vendor into a “technology and services platform” spanning the entire channel ecosystem, including vendors, distributors, TSPs and their customers.
“Over the last 15 years ConnectWise has become the leading provider of technology solutions and services to MSPs,” said Jason Magee, CEO of ConnectWise. “Now, by executing on these deals, we will be able to expand our scope and capabilities to assist the broader community of TSPs in all facets of their business.
“This is a revolutionary play, making ConnectWise the epicentre for everything from business management and documentation to service delivery and operations management, while also making it much easier and more efficient for partners to work with the technology suppliers they have in their stacks.”
Both owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo following deals in February 2019 and June 2017, Magee said the combination of ConnectWise and Continuum will allow TSPs to access “turn-key resources” capable of selling services at speed with low start-up costs.
The pairing - mirroring that of Autotask and Datto in October 2017 - also offers the opportunity for ConnectWise to tap into Continuum’s fully integrated managed services model, alongside security capabilities such as Office 365 monitoring, dark web scanning, and SOC-supported cyber security for internal environments.
“The combination of Continuum and ConnectWise enables solution providers to transform their business leveraging artificial intelligence, autonomic remediation, and a global workforce when necessary providing our partners with infinite and elastic scale,” added Michael George, CEO of Continuum.
“Our two organisations complement each other perfectly, and the journey Continuum has been on for the past eight years - including our acquisitions of R1Soft, CARVIR and BrightGauge - have led to this transformational merger. The future opportunities for MSPs are extraordinary, and this combined platform empowers them to capture and capitalise on it.”
Meanwhile, the buyout of US-based ITBoost is designed to offer a “best-in-class” IT documentation tool to the ConnectWise product suite.
The offering allows TSPs to “standardise and visualise critical data” from multiple business platforms and services, in addition to pairing with Continuum solutions.
Furthermore, ConnectWise - who replaced founder and CEO Arnie Bellini with Magee in February 2019 - has also unveiled an alliance with Webinfinity, allowing partners to more efficiently manage multiple vendor portfolios.
According to ConnectWise, the average channel partner works with 20 vendors across a “silo of online partnership management portals”. Through ConnectWise Engage - powered by Webinfinity - partners can now centralise touch points to access multiple vendors through a single pane of glass.
