DUBAI (Reuters) – Cybersecurity company Infinigate Group said on Tuesday it was merging with Dubai-based cybersecurity and cloud firm Starlink to create a company with estimated annual revenues of about $2.2 billion.
Starlink will operate under the Infinigate Group “banner” post-merger, Infinigate said. The deal follows Infinigate’s August takeover of cloud distributor Vuzion and announcement in July that it intended to buy “large parts” of UK-based IT services and consulting company Nuvias.
Infinigate did not disclose the value of the deal.
“The move will extend Infinigate Group’s reach to more than 50 countries, with offices in more than 30 countries,” the pan-European firm said.
“The joint enterprise will consolidate its position as a full EMEA (European, Middle East and Africa) powerhouse … with more than 1,100 dedicated personnel, taking all completed and projected acquisitions into account.”
Infinigate, founded in 1996, currently has about 500 employees and operates in 11 European countries including the UK, France, Germany and Switzerland.
Starlink, founded in 2005, also has a presence in 11 countries, more than 300 employees and $500 million in annual revenues, Infinigate said. It is the leading cybersecurity distributor, with more than 20% market share, in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Infinigate said.
Starlink’s founders, Mahmoud Nimer and Nidal Othman, will remain invested in the merged entity. Nimer and Othman will become Infinigate’s president and CEO for the Middle East and Africa region, respectively. They will report to Group CEO Klaus Schlichtherle.
(Reporting by Yousef Saba; Editing by Mark Potter)
