Fujitsu kickstarts its M&A strategy with Versor purchase

At the start of the year, Fujitsu outlined plans to deploy a significant war chest to bolster delivery capabilities in specific regions and service lines. The investment pot, part of a $5.7bn programme to transform the company, will enable the firm to target around 20 firms under the guidance of ex-McKinsey acquisition consultant, Nicholas Fraser.

The M&A strategy will focus on bringing in capability in next-gen digital technologies, including AI, cybersecurity, and analytics. These are areas which, according to PAC's latest CXO surveys, can all expect significant focus from enterprise buyers over the next two years.

Historically, Fujitsu has shown a reluctance to follow many of its peers in investing significant sums to fuel inorganic growth. Its most recent acquisitions date back to 2016 and it has sat back and watched as many of its peers including Accenture and Cognizant have been increasingly prolific on the M&A front.

The first investment from the firm made by Fujitsu Australia will see the firm hoover up data analytics specialist, Versor - breaking Fujitsu's decade long acquisition dry spell in the region.

Melbourne-based Versor, brings an array of data-focused solutions to the market - with the overarching aim of helping clients drive more value from their data. The consultancy has a strong client portfolio spread across multiple industries, including Government, Health, Utilities, Retail, and Finance. Examples of the firm's work include helping City West Water, one of three Victorian Government-owned retail water businesses in metro Melbourne, to build a single data platform within the business that placed data analytics in the hands of the general user. It also helped family-owned fine wine distributor, Joval Wine Group, boost sales performance using Versor's 'Data Science Data Hack' fixed price solution to help the firm envisage how better use of data and AI can transform their business.

Through the acquisition, Fujitsu gains a team of over 65 employees, with over 40 certifications and exposure to well over 100 projects across different clients and industries. Versor also has key partnerships with leading firms, including Microsoft, databricks, and AWS.

As enterprises look to drive more value from their data, solutions provided by specialists such as Versor will become more sought after. And while we can expect more investments from Fujitsu in the space, this acquisition demonstrates the firm's focus to bring in specialist skills and capabilities that align with the evolving IT services market. The move also reinforces the commitment from Fujitsu to its clients in the region, which include the Australian Department of Defence, alongside other investments, such as the launch of a new cyber resilience centre in Canberra in 2019.