TekTegrity, San Luis Obispo County’s largest provider of managed IT services, recently acquired Sentinel Network Systems (SNS), a local computer and network service company committed to excellent information technology support and an aboveboard approach to client relationships.

"It just made good sense for us to join the team at TekTegrity," states Geoff Lillich, founder of Sentinel Network Systems. "Our team and our clients have so much to gain, including access to a pool of technical experts for collaboration on ideas and projects, expanded after hour support and a back office staff that will allow us to focus on what we do best – designing and supporting computer and network systems."

To ensure a smooth transition, clients SNS has brought into the TekTegrity fold will remain with their respective SNS technician for service continuity.

Both companies have been in discussion since early 2010.

"Our focus has been increasing the quality of customer service and pool of expertise as we grow. Sentinel team members share our values, integrity and focus on customer service," said Russ Levanway, founding member and CEO of TekTegrity. "Their clients also understand the value of a strong computer network backbone and timely support. They will feel right at home with TekTegrity."

So far, 2010 has seen a large increase in the number of technology company mergers and acquisitions, up from a slump in 2009. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) frequently face similar business challenges, providing commodity, direct SaaS and cloud services, and facing a constant imperative to invest in new or emerging services for end-customers.

It is suspected that smaller MSPs will increasingly partner up with larger ones. The word of the day seems to be "coopetition" — cooperating on some fronts while continuing to compete on others” (MSP Mentor).

Highlighted benefits for TekTegrity, SNS and their client base:

• Sentinel clients will receive additional staff/resources/services for comparable pricing.
• Sentinel staff can focus on IT instead of back office work.
• Both companies have access to additional technical expertise.
• Dedicated teams will be assigned to projects and maintenance so each client’s lead tech will almost always be available in the office for support. The project team will focus on engineering and deploying projects on site.
• A help desk person will be in place to manage support requests. This ensures that technicians can prioritize and schedule tasks and projects.
• Continuity. If a team member is unavailable or out of the office for any reason, including illness or vacation, there are other technicians and engineers to ensure continuity of service for their clients.  
• Sentinel clients will have access to more after hours support, around the clock.
• Shared values. Both companies place top priority on customer care and strong relationships with clients, and with team members.
• TekTegrity will benefit from having an additional engineer on the team for escalation projects, consulting, collaborating, and more.

TekTegrity services San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Kern counties, and its services include Virtual Hosted Servers, Priority Backup, Off-Site Data Replication and Total Systems Management™ (TSM).  TSM is an industry-leading managed computer and network services model that emphasizes proactive and preventative IT support for a fixed monthly fee. For more information, visit www.tektegrity.com, or call 805-596-0135. 

Founded in 2003, Sentinel Network Systems has provided computer and network service and support for businesses on the Central Coast. From selected services to total, integrated network engineering and maintenance, Sentinel Network Systems is a flexible, forward-thinking IT company with consultants that excel in truly listening to their customers.

Related Articles:
http://www.mspmentor.net/2010/07/20/recap-six-managed-services-trends-at-hostingcon/

http://www.pcworld.com/article/184563/tech_mergers_and_acquisitions_to_grow_in_2010.html

http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/01/26/240067/Technology-mergers-and-acquisitions-increase-as-recovery.htm