15 Sep 2016

ICON Corporate Finance, specialists in M&A for tech companies, has advised Applicable Limited on its sale to Arkadin International SAS, an NTT Communications company and one of the largest and fastest growing providers of Unified Communications (UC) and Collaboration services.

Applicable is a leading provider of cloud UC and enterprise voice services to enterprise organisations in a network of carrier grade data centers in the US, Europe and Asia. The Company has over 100 staff with offices in Bristol, Brisbane and Houston.

Applicable’s 12-year track record of success in building, implementing and managing cloud-based Microsoft Lync and Skype for Business for large enterprises will enable Arkadin to expand its global reach and bring the value of UC services to large and global companies. Applicable’s expert team already hosts more than 330,000 UC users through its ‘ISO/IEC 27001:2013’ certified global private cloud platform.

“The acquisition of Applicable is an important milestone for Arkadin to enable all businesses, from SMBs to the largest enterprises, to harness the full power of Unified Communications for greater workplace productivity,” said Olivier de Puymorin, Chairman and CEO of Arkadin International. “Our highly complementary portfolios and service strategies, coupled with shared cultural values and an aggressive vision for growth, present a huge opportunity for our global customers and partners to have the benefits of a private and fully managed cloud-based UC solution.”

While Applicable will continue to run its operations independently, the two companies will collaborate on product development and long-term strategic planning. With this acquisition, Arkadin strengthens its portfolio of UC solutions available to the Large Enterprise market by combining global UC & Telephony services supported by local presence. This offer supplements the existing portfolio centered on Arkadin Total Connect, a multi-tenant Microsoft Skype for Business hosted service. This service provides a fully integrated UC ecosystem with voice-enabled Office 365, audio/web/video conferencing and contact center.

“We are thrilled to be joining Arkadin and are certain it will benefit all stakeholders, including our talented workforces and current and future customers,” said Applicable Managing Director, Alan Baldwin. “Our combined resources and shared passion for enabling organisations to collaborate, will successfully deliver integrated Microsoft UC services that meet the essential quality of experience requirements of enterprise customers. Arkadin’s global telephony and local approach to service, together with Applicable’s expertise, offer customers a complete UC service.”

Simon Moynagh, Director at ICON commented, “We ran a full international M&A process and are delighted to have secured Arkadin/NTT Communications as the acquirer. Unified Communications is a rapidly growing market and this represents a significant deal for the sector.”

Applicable’s shareholders were also advised by the corporate and commercial team at law firm Royds Withy King and tax advisers at Bishop Fleming. Katharine Mortimer, a partner at Royds Withy King said, “This was an exciting and complex deal to work on with several international elements. In addition to its Bristol office, Applicable has a US subsidiary and an Australian branch so there were some interesting legal and tax issues to consider. We wish them every success as they embark on the next stage of their journey.”

Paul Morris, tax partner at Bishop Fleming in Bath, added: “It was great to be part of the team advising on this transaction and there were inevitably some complexities to resolve along the way. The acquisition of Applicable will no doubt generate exciting opportunities for the combined businesses going forward.”