Hemel Hempstead, 28th October 2024: Academia, a leading provider of IT solutions for the UK’s Education, Public Sector and Business markets, today announced the acquisition of Smartdesc, the award-winning IT services company. This is a strategic move that will further strengthen Academia’s Technical Services portfolio and expand capabilities in Managed Services.
Smartdesc is a hybrid company with flexi-offices in central London and staff based across the UK and Europe. With a turnover of £9m and 80 employees, it’s predominantly an MSP with sales across Microsoft Hardware/Software and Cyber. The acquisition will help Academia vastly improve its certification levels with new vendors.
Andrew Harman, Owner, Academia Group commented: “This acquisition is a significant milestone as we continue to deliver against our strategy for growth and expansion. We’re bucking trends at Academia and acquiring Smartdesc, with its expertise and leadership, is a major step in broadening our customer propositions and delivering even more value to customers.”
Strategic benefits of the acquisition:
- Enhances service portfolio: Smartdesc’s strengths are in IT strategy, IT Helpdesk, Infrastructure, Data Security, Cyber, Azure & 365 management.
- Unlocks new growth avenues: Combining the complementary offerings of both companies will fuel innovation, promote knowledge-sharing, and create fresh opportunities for growth.
- Accelerates market expansion: Smartdesc opens up new opportunities for Academia in the third sector, enabling the company to deliver its propositions into the non-profit space.
- Strengthens a shared company culture: With aligned values and goals, both companies will unite ensuring a seamless transition and providing its people, customers and partners with an exceptional experience.
Mark McCormack, Managing Director of Academia, said “Welcoming Smartdesc into the Academia Group aligns perfectly with our long-term growth strategy, providing a tremendous opportunity to scale our support and managed services as well as strengthen our cyber security and infrastructure divisions. By combining talent, portfolios and market opportunities, we’re on track to shape the future of IT solutions and services with greater innovation and value for our people, customers and partners. We’re excited to welcome the Smartdesc team on board.”
For media information contact Georgina Swann, Group Head of Marketing at Academia (info@academia.co.uk)
