Accenture has acquired Intrigo Systems, a U.S.-based SAP partner. This is Accenture's second acquisition in recent days -- part of a $1 billion M&A push across digital, cloud and security services that CEO Pierre Nanterme announced in December 2016.Intrigo provides advisory and systems integration services for SAP enterprise and cloud solutions in e-commerce, supply chain, and procurement. Financial terms were not disclosed.Accenture's Bhaskar GhoshIntrigo, founded in 2009, brings additional resources in key SAP supply chain areas like SAP’s Integrated Business Planning and SAP Ariba Supply Chain Collaboration, Accenture said. The net result: Accenture gains expertise to help enhance customers' supply chain management through better real-time collaboration with suppliers, the company says.
This comes as more companies turn their eyes toward the supply chain function to better serve their customers.“We are in the era of the intelligent supply chain, where technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation and analytics allow the supply chain to serve as a growth engine as it connects to all elements seamlessly, with a focus on delivering value,” said Bhaskar Ghosh, group chief executive, Accenture Technology Services.Intrigo has a longstanding relationship with SAP, having helped create and develop the SAP Integrated Business Planning and SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization solutions. They also worked with SAP and Microsoft to build and deploy the SAP Ariba Supply Chain Collaboration solution.
Accenture's M&A Play
Accenture has been acquiring multiple companies that specialize in cloud, digital, security and various SaaS applications. Recent M&A plays include:
Some of those M&A deals plus organic growth helped to lift Accenture revenues 11 percent to $10.1 billion in Q4 2018, according to results announced in September 2018.
SAP Partner Buyouts
SAP partners have generated plenty of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity over the past year or so. Recent deals include:
Milan-based Techedge S.P.A. acquired NIMBL, a 100-person SAP partner focused on midmarket and enterprise managed services in March 2018.
One Equity Partners, a middle market private equity firm, acquired Rizing LLC, an SAP-focused provider of IT systems integration and implementation services in February of this year.
Lightwell, an IT services and solutions provider in Dublin, Ohio, in September 2017 acquired BAAX LLC—a Columbus, Ohio-based consulting firm that specializes in SAP and Oracle data analytics.
Reuters reports that interest in acquiring U.S.-Japanese cybersecurity firm Trend Micro, which counts Microsoft, McAfee, CrowdStrike, and Palo Alto Networks as its competitors, has escalated among private equity firms in recent weeks.
