Thrive, a global provider of cybersecurity, cloud, and IT managed services, has acquired The Longleaf Network, a North Carolina-based technology outsourcing provider, to bolster its cybersecurity offerings. Financial information was not disclosed.
The deal aims to enhance customer experience and provide additional technology ROI by integrating The Longleaf's local expertise with Thrive’s global security operations center (SOC) and cloud capabilities, according to the company. The combination of The Longleaf’s local team and Thrive’s 24x7x365 service delivery is expected to offer cutting-edge solutions to North Carolina clients.
“The Longleaf Network has a proven track record of bringing customer-first IT strategy and services to clients across North Carolina – a culture that resonated with us from the beginning,” said Rob Stephenson, CEO, Thrive. “The Longleaf partnership will provide us with a strong market presence in a very desirable North Carolina footprint to expand our client base via our NextGen platform.”
The additional footprint and customer base also strengthens the company’s cybersecurity offerings since it will learn and grow with new customers seeking unique business outcomes, Stephenson said.
"They are one of the leading MSPs in the Greensboro-Durham-Raleigh area, with clients that extend as far south as Charlotte, NC. We're very excited to be partnering with Longleaf to grow the Carolina's region.”
Thrive’s Growth and Expansion
The acquisition comes amid Thrive's continuous growth, marked by 10 previous acquisitions over the past two years. Thrive has also expanded its offerings to include Thrive Incident Response & Remediation and Dark Web Monitoring, ensuring the delivery of advanced solutions to their customers.
“The Triad is a vibrant market and we’re proud to be the preferred local technology outsourcing provider for so many of the businesses that drive our region’s economy,” said Trey Miller, CEO at The Longleaf Network. “Thrive’s POD approach to matching each client with subject matter experts aligns with our mission of delivering localized and customized service to every client. With Thrive’s partnership, we can deliver even better support in our local market while expanding our offerings to increase ROI for our clients.”
Thrive, founded in 2000, is based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The company has 1,438 employees listed on LinkedIn. Thrive’s areas of expertise include managed and outsourced IT services, hosted cloud services, help desk support, on-site engineering, strategic technology consulting, disaster recovery, business continuity planning, professional services, compliance and regulatory services, security, hybrid cloud, cybersecurity, DRaaS, and fintech.
The Longleaf Network, founded in 2006, is based in Greensboro, North Carolina. The company has 20 employees listed on LinkedIn. The Longleaf Network’s areas of expertise include IT support, vendor and network management, and managed services.
About The Deal
The Longleaf Network has approximately 20 employees
"As part of our rising tide initiative, we always strive to integrate industry expertise into Thrive. Currently, close to 70% of our employees have joined us through acquisition growth,” Stephenson said.
According to Stephenson, the acquisition fills in the East Coast coverage region and provides a vibrant area of opportunity, with The Longleaf serving as the company’s Southeast hub.
Thrive, backed by private equity firm Court Square Capital Partners, has been actively expanding through acquisitions. In November 2023, the company acquired Florida-based MSP 4IT for an undisclosed sum. Earlier acquisitions include IT Freedom in July 2023 and Storagepipe, a cloud and cybersecurity provider, in April 2023.
“Thrive is always seeking strategic acquisitions to broaden our offerings, geographic footprint, and team. We aim to close additional deals this year," Stephenson said.
