JEDDAH — Accenture has strengthened its hybrid cloud and mobility capabilities in Europe by acquiring full ownership in Solium, a Madrid-based technology company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “This acquisition is consistent with our Intelligent Business Cloud vision, which provides a framework for helping clients accelerate their journey to an ‘everything-as-a-service' model.”
Accenture and BBVA founded Solium as a joint venture in 2001. BBVA owned 66.7 percent of the company at the time of sale. Accenture has now acquired BBVA's ownership stake and is the sole owner of Solium. As part of the transaction, Solium will continue to provide hybrid cloud services to BBVA for the next five years.
Solium provides specific technical skills that enable a consumption-based, as-a-service cloud model including expertise in private and hybrid cloud, Cloud for SAP HANA, and Mobility Infrastructure Management. Its primary client base is in the financial services industry in Europe, and particularly Spain, but it also serves companies in other industries including natural resources, consumer products, communications and technology.
The addition of Solium's capabilities will enable Accenture to accelerate its clients' journeys to becoming digital businesses. This includes integration into Accenture's multi-cloud management tool, the Accenture Cloud Platform, for faster, simpler consumption, delivery and integration of services into the broader cloud ecosystem.
“Our clients recognize that cloud is a means to an end, one that will enable them to innovate faster and create entirely new business capabilities,” said Mark Beaton, senior managing director of Infrastructure Services for Accenture in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Latin America. “This acquisition is consistent with our Intelligent Business Cloud vision, which provides a framework for helping clients accelerate their journey to an ‘everything-as-a-service' model.”
The acquisition will also enhance Accenture's capabilities in infrastructure optimization and operations including the implementation and management of cloud architectures, database as a service technologies, middleware, and converged infrastructure models. As a result of the acquisition, Solium's 65 professionals are expected to transition to Accenture and will continue to be located in Madrid.
“With the increased level of regulation in many industries – including banking, insurance and utilities – companies require secure, compliant infrastructure and cloud models that provide the foundation to build an ‘as a Service' digital business,” said Manuel López Ordoñez, managing director of Infrastructure Services for Accenture Spain. “Bringing Solium fully into Accenture reinforces our capabilities to deliver proven hybrid cloud solutions to these highly regulated enterprise clients.” — SG
