Sirocom claims Azzurri buy-out will help its voice grow stronger

Combined company will now be able to offer a converged service to enterprise customers

Virtual network operator (VNO) Sirocom has claimed its acquisition by communications VAR Azzurri will give it the voice skills to provide a more complete offering.

Last week Azzurri opened its acquisition purse strings and landed its biggest target to date as it snapped up Sirocom (CRN Online, 1 November). The acquisition is Azzurri’s 16th, and its first since being acquired by private equity firm, PPM Capital (CRN Online, 2 June).

Simon Rogan, founder of Sirocom, told CRN: “The motivation of the deal was that I set up Sirocom 12 years ago. We have been growing organically ever since. We are pleased with where we are now, but we then looked at where we could take the business [if we were acquired].”

Rogan said he had assessed a number of options about how to grow the business and decided that Azzurri offered the best fit.

“We were lacking in sheer size and we are now part of a £150m company,” he said.

“We also lacked in-depth voice skills as we have come from a data background and Azzurri is a voice organisation with data skills. We can now offer a converged service to enterprises, which is where the market is going.”

Martin St Quinton, chief executive of Azzurri, told CRN: “We wanted to acquire a VNO to round off our proposition. There are not many quality players in the VNO space, but Sirocom is certainly one of them.”

St Quinton said Sirocom, like all of Azzurri’s other acquisitions, will be integrated into the VAR and will operate under the Azzurri brand.

“We will make our next acquisition next year, and this will be of a UK-based voice and data integrator doing £30m to £50m in turnover,” added St Quinton. C

>> Further reading:

Azzurri Communications acquired by private firm