Washington, DC, (January 28, 2022) – FOCUS Investment Banking (“FOCUS”), a national middle market investment banking firm providing merger, acquisition, divestiture, and corporate finance services, announced today that Stratum Technology (“Stratum”), a Texas-based cloud service provider, has been acquired by Open Systems Technologies, Inc. (“OST”), a Midwest-based digital and IT consultancy. FOCUS represented Stratum in this transaction.
This acquisition expands OST’s cloud services capabilities because of Stratum’s deep technical expertise and certifications in both AWS and Microsoft. Stratum joins OST with architects, engineers and project managers who have developed relationships with top partners and carry advanced specializations such as the Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Services Provider designation.
“For 25 years, OST has walked alongside clients to architect, build, and manage how and where technology runs,” said Meredith Bronk, President and CEO of OST. “The acquisition of Stratum Technology is a reflection of rapid acceleration in this space and ensures that OST continues to drive meaningful and valuable outcomes for our clients.”
In addition to expanding cloud services, this acquisition pairs two of the nation’s leading experts in Microsoft Cloud for healthcare.This reinforces OST’s position as a premier partner for Epic cloud implementations in the United States.
This acquisition also comes on the heels of last year’s integration of the well-known Minneapolis-based design firm, Azul Seven, one of several bold moves to target growth opportunities that allow OST to help leading companies accelerate their digital business models.
OST continues to seek new partnerships that not only enhance OST’s capabilities but also promote its company culture. In addition to honoring employees above all else, OST is a business that puts cultural compatibility at the top of the list when evaluating acquisitions, and acquiring Stratum is a perfect example of this approach.
“Stratum has been a market leader in cloud integration and managed services for the last six years,” said Ryan Trimberger, CEO and Co-Founder of Stratum. “Our customers had an appetite for other services that were outside of our core business, and we found OST to be the perfect fit both technically and culturally for our employees and custom- ers. This acquisition by OST is a strategic move to better serve our customers as demand grows for cloud, IoT, healthcare focused cloud deployments, and managed services.”
For both organizations, the acquisition means that clients will have access to more support, experience, and expertise than ever before. Together, OST and Stratum lead the way in cloud technology services that help enterprise organizations rapidly accelerate digital initiatives.
According to FOCUS Managing Director George Shea, “Stratum’s high growth, hyperscale cloud services business, strong recurring revenue base, and industry-leading health- care vertical practice all added up to an excellent partner for OST. We were pleased to help Stratum’s management team meet their objectives in this transaction.”
About Stratum Technology
Founded in 2015, Stratum has extensive experience providing professional services, managed services, and cloud services, primarily to clients in the healthcare space and private equity-backed SaaS companies. Recognized as a top growth partner for Azure consumption by the president of Microsoft, the company prides itself on its high number of Azure and AWS-certified employees; streamlined corporate structure with minimal overhead; strong client relationships; broad and deep talent base; high level of intellectual property (IP); and solid contract pipeline expected to accelerate the company’s growth.
About Open Systems Technologies, Inc.
OST is an integrated, cross-functional business technology firm bringing together strategy and insights, digital experiences, connected products, data center transformation, and enterprise managed services as it works alongside clients to optimize and grow their businesses. With offices located in Grand Rapids, Detroit, Minneapolis, and London, OST engages in ways that make the most sense and yield the best results for global Fortune 2000 companies to funded startups. This is all wrapped in a friendly, flexible, people- centered culture. OST has been recognized in Inc. Magazine’s 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies, CRN’s Tech Elite 250, and as a National Best & Brightest Company to Work For.
About FOCUS Investment Banking
With four decades of experience, FOCUS Investment Banking is a trusted name in middle market M&A advisory services worldwide. Whether helping to sell, buy, or raise capital, FOCUS strives to maximize the value of every transaction for the benefit of its clients.
FOCUS’ Software and IT Team has advised hundreds of leading software and information technology services businesses. Our international team of 10 investment bankers and two senior advisors leverages years of experience in the information technology sector – both domestically and abroad – to personally manage your transaction from inception to a successful close. Our team understands that the information technology industry has grown considerably and the financial needs of its participants have become more complex. We continue to achieve a very high close rate on buy side, sell side and corporate finance mandates.
Securities transactions conducted by FOCUS Securities LLC, an affiliated company, registered Broker Dealer member FINRA/SIPC.
*These testimonials may not be representative of the experience of all clients; testimonials are not a guarantee of future performance or success.
