Koncise Solutions buys Spear Shield in first ever M&A deal since founding

The deal adds a whole new technical side to the Koncise business, which CEO Ben Konopinski tells CRN it has always been lacking

Koncise Solutions has made its first acquisition since it was established in 2012 with its buyout of Spear Shield.

The new addition adds two members of staff to Koncise, including CEO and co-founder Max Harper, who becomes chief commercial officer, bringing the acquirer’s headcount to nine.

Koncise founder and CEO Ben Konopinski tells CRN he expects that figure to grow to up to 15 people in the next 12 months as the reseller hires across sales and technical functions.

Bringing the Ipswich, Suffolk-HQ Spear Shield onboard also means Koncise now covers East Anglia, as well as Scotland, the south east and the midlands.

Already counting the likes of Mimecast, Egress, Halcyon, Arctic Wolf, CrowdStrike and more in its vendor roster, Koncise inherits Sophos, N-able, dope.security and Abnormal Security from the deal.

Spear Shield bills itself as a human-centric security specialist, offering managed phishing services, defense in-depth security controls assessments, and security consultancy led services.

The most significant addition the newly acquired company brings is an entire technical side to the Koncise business. Something Konopinski tells CRN was the missing piece of the puzzle.

“That was the side we were lacking.

“When I started Koncise 13 and a half years ago it was from a sales angle. I didn't have any technical skills.

“Whereas when Max started Spear Shield, he started it from the technical offering. Bringing those technical offerings in when you're already an established business, or to try and start them is much harder.”

A chance meeting

Konopinski explains how the pair coincidentally met three years ago at the CRN Channel Awards, seated on the same table.

After running into each other at events, the chance to merge was raised.

“Late August/early September last year we got reintroduced by someone who'd had a chat with Max and who'd had a chat with me, and saw it as a great opportunity for us to come together.”

After a “bit of dating” the duo realised they had two businesses that complement each other, were “small and nimble enough”, with offerings from both sides that we were missing.

By April 2026, both businesses will operate as one, with Spear Shield coming under the umbrella of its new owner, as Spear Shield, a Koncise Solutions company.

However, Konopinski stresses that neither side will lose their principles.

Ben: “We don't want to lose the ethos that we both have, which is very similar, as we continue to grow.

“We're customer focused, customer centric and customer first. It's all about working with them.

“We're never pushing stuff they don't need or want. We want to be partners with them.”