The hybrid cloud acquisitions continue for IBM (IBM +0.81%) as it announced today that it would buy Nordcloud, a Finnish company that is a leader in cloud implementation, application transformation, and managed services across Europe.
This acquisition should help clients that want a holistic approach to the cloud, meaning they operate in both public and private clouds, as well as the traditional IT environment.
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"IBM's acquisition of Nordcloud adds the kind of deep expertise that will drive our clients' digital transformations as well as support the further adoption of IBM's hybrid cloud platform," said John Granger, chief operating officer of IBM Global Business Services and senior vice president for Cloud Application Innovation.
Research and advisory firm Gartner named Nordcloud as a top cloud-native provider of services. The company is also "triple certified," meaning it is one of the few platforms certified for Amazon's AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Alphabet's Google Cloud.
Fernando Herrera, the chairman of Nordcloud, called IBM's cloud approach complementary to that of his company. Since Nordcloud already operates 10 offices in Europe, this move should provide a natural segue to strengthen IBM's position across the European market.
Also, according to market research firm Canalys, IBM remains well behind AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud in terms of market share. At least in Europe, adding a triple-certified company could help to place IBM on par with the three top cloud companies.
For IBM, this represents the latest in a series of cloud-related acquisitions. The company also announced the purchases of TruQua Enterprises in November and Expertus Technologies earlier this month.
IBM did not disclose financial terms for the deal. Pending the customary conditions, the company expects the deal to close sometime in the first quarter of 2021.
