Computacenter snaps up Digica for £28m

Computacenter Services has agreed to acquire fellow IT services company Digica. Computacenter will pay £15.9m for the company as well as settling outstanding debts of £12.1m.

Computacenter said the acquisition will enable it to expand its offerings into new areas. Digica targets its offerings at SMEs and public sector organisations, while Computacenter has previously focused on larger enterprises.

Digica sells IT infrastructure and application services and has 248 staff in the UK and Cape Town. The services provider will continue to operate under the Digica brand.

According to analysts, the move will help Computacenter distance itself from its traditional image as a reseller.

Kate Hanaghan, analyst at Ovum, said in a research note: "The scale of its resale business, and the lack of clarity around what kind of company [Computacenter] ultimately wants to be, has held back the development of its services brand.

"So today's acquisition, though relatively small, is important on two levels. Firstly, it gives [Computacenter] the data centre and application services capability it didn't have before. Secondly, it clarifies that the company is indeed looking to evolve.