Lyra Technology Group, part of investor Evergreen, has acquired Dutch MSP Lantack, based in Halsteren. It is Evergreen’s first acquisition in the Netherlands and in the Benelux. Lantack will continue to operate under its own name, with founder Cliff Lagendijk at the helm. The financial terms have not been disclosed.
With the acquisition, Lantack’s ten employees become part of a group of more than 140 companies in seven countries. Lyra Technology Group is part of Evergreen, an investor that focuses on managed services and software companies. Evergreen works with so-called permanent capital. According to the company, it does not sell on the businesses it invests in. For Lyra, the deal extends its European operations into the Benelux.
Operations remain unchanged
Lantack was founded in 2008 by Cliff Lagendijk, who is still CEO. The company provides managed IT, cloud, cybersecurity and modern workplace services to customers in the Netherlands and beyond. Lantack is a Microsoft Solutions Partner and focuses on Microsoft 365, Azure and Modern Workplace. Its customers include businesses in professional services, manufacturing, logistics, the maritime sector and wholesale, among them organisations with users and IT environments in Europe, the United States and Asia.
According to Evergreen, Lantack will continue to operate independently with its current management team. Employees, customer relationships and day-to-day operations will remain unchanged. In addition, Lantack will gain access to the expertise, resources and network of companies within Lyra and Evergreen.
Lantack follows an approach the company calls Carefree ICT. According to Lantack, this centres on standardised, proactively managed IT environments and a direct relationship between engineers and the customers they support.
Reactions from the parties involved
Lagendijk says he set up Lantack to bring enterprise IT practices to SMEs without losing the personal contact with customers. He says that during his talks with Lyra and Evergreen he was surprised by how much of that company culture he recognised in a group of this size. According to Lagendijk, the acquisition gives Lantack access to a larger community of IT companies and entrepreneurs, while the company retains its own identity.
Dakota Ferguson, Regional CEO Europe at Lyra Technology Group, describes Lantack as the first MSP from the Benelux to join Evergreen and an important step in the group’s growth in Europe. Ferguson says Lyra intends to explore how it can strengthen Lantack with shared expertise and additional resources, while preserving its leadership, culture and customer relationships.
More acquisitions planned
Lyra says it will continue to actively pursue acquisitions of established MSPs in the Benelux, the Nordic countries and the rest of Europe. The group is focusing primarily on Microsoft-oriented service providers serving small, medium-sized and mid-market businesses.
According to Evergreen, the acquisition comes at a time when the pace of mergers and acquisitions in the European managed services market is accelerating. The company says small and medium-sized MSPs are facing increasing demands in the areas of cybersecurity, compliance and staffing.
This article was originally published in Dutch on MSP Business. Read the original →
