While the January closing of the multi-billion dollar Towers Perrin, Watson Wyatt merger into the new Towers Watson & Co. was the biggest transaction in recent months, there have been a number of smaller strategic tuck-ins worth noting. A willingness to make these kinds of investments is an encouraging sign for the consulting profession.
• Executive search firm Korn/Ferry International recently acquired Sensa Solutions, a Washington D.C.-area management consultancy that primarily serves U.S. government agencies. Sensa provides strategic planning, executive coaching, training and human resources development. Its CEO, Vicki Tarallo, will join Korn/Ferry and run the Sensa business.
• IT consultancy Edgewater Technology ac-quired Alabama-based Fullscope, a Microsoft Dynamics consulting firm. Fullscope is best known for providing discrete and process manufacturing ERP consulting services in the upper mid-market. The business units, which generated approximately $12.6 million in 2009, were sold for about $12.5 million in cash, plus possible earn outs.
• Regional accounting/consulting firm Larson-Allen acquired Pennsylvania-based consulting firm Third Age, a specialist in the senior care and housing markets. Third Age's 15 employ-ees, including five principals, will be merged into LarsonAllen's healthcare business. Larson-Allen has being on a buying spree of late, recently adding Frank Consulting and Schreiner Legge & Company.
• Dell entered into a strategic alliance with Chinese cloud management system vendor Beijing Infobird Software Company. As part of the agreement, the two companies will jointly provide cloud-computing-based, enterprise-level, Internet communication platform services to companies. The focus will be both Dell's existing small-and-medium enterprise customers as well as emerging opportunities within China. The Boston Consulting Group has recently advised Dell on ways to grow its cloud computing capabilities.
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