Nebulas buyer not ruling out more UK acquisitions

SecureLink hungry for more M&A as its backers look to create 'European FishNet'

SecureLink, the Dutch managed security services firm that bought Nebulas earlier this week, is not ruling out further UK acquisitions as it strives to create a "European FishNet".

Talking to CRN sister publication Channelnomics Europe, SecureLink CEO Marco Barkmeijer said the firm will look to strengthen further through acquisition after buying both Nebulas and Nordic ace Coresec.

Securelink is backed by private equity house InvestCorp, which bought FishNet Security, a US IT security services powerhouse that merged with counterpart Accuvant to create a $1.5bn-turnover giant.

Barkmeijer said InvestCorp was shopping for a "European FishNet" in order to repeat the trick on this side of the pond and will bankroll further deals, including in the territories in which it already operates, namely Benelux, the Nordics and the UK.

"For the UK we did some quite good research and there is not another Nebulas in the UK, we are certain of that. But we will acquire more in the UK if there is an opportunity. With further acquisitions, the way we look at it is: they need to have a solid base of these services. If there is only a company that sells a lot of F5 Networks but does not have their own services division, then they are not good for us," said Barkmeijer.

"We continue to look at the countries we are already covering; if an opportunity comes by where that makes sense we will take it. Germany is definitely a strategic area for us, also France and Switzerland. Where our customers are asking, that is where we are looking at."