Amid considerable M&A activity across the IT channel, one particular hotspot involves IP telephony. Among the recent deals: Pacific Office Automation (POA) has acquired Trans-West, a Phoenix, Arizona-based Voice Over IP (VoIP) and data solutions provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Trans-West has been operating for more than 35 years, the last three of which it has made the top spot for Telephone Equipment and Systems on the Ranking Arizona poll.
The deal, at least on paper, should allow POA and Trans-West to connect the dots between managed WiFi solutions and VoIP offerings. “The Trans-West acquisition opens new doors for POA, especially since we already have a major presence near Phoenix,” said Pacific Office Automation President Doug Pitassi in a prepared statement. “By expanding our offerings in VoIP/on-premise phone services, we'll be able to better serve our existing customers and reach new ones."
POA, which has 18 U.S. locations across eight states, can also integrate that VoIP know-how with its expertise in such areas as printers, copiers, IT solutions, managed print services, and more.
As we mentioned, M&A involving VoIP-savvy channel companies has been heating up. For instance, Virginia-based Ntiva recently acquired IN Communications. And the UK, Solar Communications purchased TWL Voice and Data to bolster its share of the business communications marketplace.
We saw similar activity in 2016, when BCM One doubled down on its own voice services with the acquisition of CloudStrategies Group. In June 2016, Vonage acquired API platform Nexmo, which allows companies to program different communication tools like voice and chat into their own applications.
