Orange’s €350m Purchase of Basefarm will Make it a “Global Player” in Digital Enterprise

Orange has completed its acquisition of Basefarm  through its subsidiary Orange Business Services.

The deal signifies Orange taking an “important step” towards becoming “a global player” in digital enterprise, following the arrival of CEO Helmut Reisinger, who was brought on board to expand its roster of clients for digital, the internet of things (IoT) and cyber-security services.

Orange Business Services announced a deal with Siemens to foster the adoption of IoT in the industrial sector back in April 2018.

Basefarm is a cloud infrastructure and services company, which recorded revenues of over 100 million euros in 2017. It has a strong operational presence in several European countries, particularly in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria and in Germany, where it boasts a cutting-edge big data activity with its subsidiary The Unbelievable Machine Company.

Its business proposition lies at the forefront of innovative services in cloud computing, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, thanks to the widely-recognised expertise of its 550 employees.

The combination of the two companies means bolstering for Orange’s IoT offering, with “teams starting to work together during the integration period”, including on projects focused on IoT.

“The acquisition of Basefarm marks a major milestone in the international development of our cloud activities,” said a spokesperson for Orange Business Services.

“In particular, Basefarm will enable us to significantly extend our big data and critical application management services on a rapidly consolidating market.

“In addition to our ability to offer access to public or private cloud infrastructure, it is above all our capacity to propose enriched, automated services to our customers, wherever they are in the world, that will enable us to support companies as they transform into new, digital models based on cloud computing, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.”

Orange Business Services is growing by around 15–20 per cent each year in cloud computing, it said. Previously announced in July 2018, the acquisition is valued at €350 million.

Orange Business Services chief executive Helmut Reisinger said the deal would “enable the company to extend its big data” and “offer access to public and private cloud infrastructure”, essential for providing IoT services to customers.

The Frencg telecoms group also acquired consulting and systems integration group Business and Decision in October 2017. It was said that the deal would strengthen its operations in data analysis and governance in France and across the globe.-enterpriseiotinsights