First Focus picks up Kiwi IT counterpart Optimus Systems
Australian IT advisory and managed services firm First Focus has acquired Kiwi counterpart Optimus Systems: its second purchase in New Zealand this year and first since its own recent sale.
First Focus has immediately continued on its merry acquisition-spree by adding Auckland-based Optimus Systems after having joined US advisory and managed services firm Integris just last month, with South Island provider CNX picked up in March.
The acquisition adds a further three dozen or so employees to the First Focus/Integris fold, which is aiming to become the world’s largest managed services provider catering to the small-to-medium segment, but crucially gains it a further foothold in New Zealand.
“New Zealand is a key strategic market for us, and our clear intent is to be the country’s leading managed AI and IT services provider for SMBs by bringing together world-class capability, strong local delivery, and businesses with great people and like-minded clients,” said First Focus CEO Ross Sardi. “Optimus is exactly that kind of business, with deep expertise in the areas that matter.”
Optimus was established by managing director Marek Drummond in Auckland in 2002, and has since grown to include further staff in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin providing a range of services around strategy, infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud, compliance, and IT consultancy. Its employees will now join a fast-growing trans-Team team of around 350 advisors and techs.
“I chose to sell Optimus because I could see the market changing quickly, especially as to the level of scale and structure needed to keep delivering great outcomes for clients,” Drummond said. “I wanted to make sure our clients and our team had the best possible platform for the future, and First Focus stood out as the right partner because of their capability, operating model, and culture.”
For now, Drummond will stay on to lead the firm’s “shift to AI and automation-led services in New Zealand”, while Travis Brunton, Optimus’s current operations manager, will take on general manager duties for First Focus across the ditch following the firm’s other recent NZ expansion play in its purchase CNX, which is based out of Nelson as covers the Marlborough and Tasman regions.
Established in 2003, First Focus has exploded in the past few years with more than a dozen acquisitions, gaining it recognition on the latest techpartner (nee CRN) Fast 50 list, but now has the additional backing of private equity-backed Integris, with First Focus expected to eventually take on the Integris branding as the US-based firm continues to expand into the international market.
