Technology

LightEdge Expands Its Market Leadership with Connectria Acquisition

DES MOINES, Iowa, April 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – LightEdge, an eminent company renowned for providing top-notch secure cloud services and colocation facilities for nearly thirty years, has announced that it has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Connectria. Renowned as a multitalented provider of multi-cloud infrastructure and managed hosting services, Connectria has been instrumental in catering to the mission-critical workloads of over 400 customers. This acquisition ushers LightEdge into an augmented realm, adding six data center locations to their already robust presence, which comprises twelve highly interconnected facilities that span across eight major U.S. markets. This significant move marks LightEdge’s fourth acquisition since the pivotal GI Partners' investment in 2021, underscoring its steadfast ascent and expanding dominion in the data center and cloud infrastructure arena.

Jim Masterson, the visionary CEO of LightEdge, has confidently articulated the strategic importance of this merger, saying, "With this incorporation, LightEdge now ranks among the select few secure and compliant infrastructure providers nationwide offering a comprehensive suite of services that includes hybrid colocation and bespoke multi-cloud solutions." He further highlighted the merger's goal of enhancing service continuity, thereby elevating customer experiences. The merger pledges to foster a seamless synergy between the already exceptional offerings of LightEdge—which include colocation and private cloud services—and Connectria’s dominion, comprising public cloud services.

Complementing LightEdge’s specialization in colocation, enterprise cloud, connectivity and network security, Connectria brings to the table profound expertise in IBM, AWS, and Microsoft Azure public cloud hosting. This potent alignment not only fortifies LightEdge's service portfolio but also paves the way for new product development and market expansion.

Amar Patel, the incumbent CEO of Connectria, expressed his gratification regarding the merger, noting that LightEdge serves as the consummate home for Connectria’s aspirations and heritage. He praised both entities for their intrinsic commitment to security within their product offerings, and their commendable track records in fostering robust company cultures, exceptional employee engagement, and enduring customer and supplier relationships.

Xiao Tsai, Director of GI Partners, added his voice to the chorus of approval, expressing excitement to back LightEdge's growing footprint. “Connectria's prowess in IBM and public cloud spheres endows LightEdge with new channels for forthcoming expansions,” he commented. This support underlines GI Partners' confidence in the successful consolidation of both companies' formidable talents, which will undoubtedly stimulate future growth.

The completion of the transaction is on the horizon, with expectations set for it to be finalized prior to the calendar marking the end of April 2024. This eagerly anticipated unification is poised to create a formidable presence in the infrastructure landscape.

About LightEdge

LightEdge is an industry pacesetter in secure private, public, hybrid, and multi-cloud, as well as colocation and managed services for entities that prioritize absolute continuity in mission-critical workloads. Founded in 1996 with a vision to facilitate a frictionless transition to cloud services for businesses, LightEdge has built a reputation for optimizing IT infrastructures, extending operational IT teams, and safeguarding valuable business data. Underpinned by an unwavering commitment to security, observability, and compliance attestation, LightEdge delivers remarkable service with a guaranteed 100% uptime SLA and boasts a customer retention rate that reflects less than 1% churn.

Renowned for its client-centric philosophy, LightEdge meticulously understands the distinct ambitions of each client, tailoring its infrastructure solutions to optimally support every workload. The team bridges the gap between hybrid and multi-cloud environments with unparalleled expertise. To learn more about their extensive offerings and ethos, please visit www.lightedge.com.

About GI Partners

Originating in 2001, GI Partners is a distinguished private investment firm featuring a dynamic team of over 150 professionals across branches located in San Francisco, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Greenwich, Scottsdale, and London. The firm has an extensive track record of raising capital in excess of $43 billion. GI Partners proudly invests on behalf of premier institutional investors globally, with a diverse portfolio including private equity, real estate, and data infrastructure strategies. Its private equity team primarily channels investments into the healthcare, services, and software sectors, while its real estate strategy gravitates toward technology and life sciences properties, alongside specialized real estate investments. The data infrastructure team zeroes in on the hard asset infrastructure businesses that serve as the backbone of the digital economy. For an in-depth look at their investment methodologies and company directives, visit their website at www.gipartners.com.

The alignment of LightEdge and Connectria heralds an epoch of unparalleled potential in the provision of critical digital infrastructure services. Industry analysts anticipate a smooth integration of Connectria's wealth of experience into LightEdge's robust service offerings, with resultant benefits in the form of enhanced capabilities and reach. LightEdge’s foresight in diversifying through junctions with strategic partners such as Connectria is recognized as a move that strengthens its market position. The ripple effects of this consolidation will very likely be perceived in heightened service efficiencies and expanded customer options.

As businesses across the globe pivot increasingly towards a dependency on cloud computing and data services, the merger of LightEdge and Connectria represents a significant enhancement in the kind of resilient infrastructure and versatility required to handle the complexities of modern IT environments. Clients are projected to gain access to a broader continuum of cloud options, fortified by a marriage of LightEdge's deep-rooted proficiency in secure, reliable colocation and private cloud solutions, and Connectria's seasoned capabilities in public cloud hosting.

The announcement has drawn praise from industry experts who point to the complementary nature of LightEdge’s and Connectria's service portfolios. It's postulated that the acquisition will yield a collective advantage in serving clients who need hybrid solutions that seamlessly integrate public and private cloud elements. Both entities have cultivated reputations for their unwavering dedication to their foundational values: Security, 100% uptime, and a customer-centric approach to doing business.

Furthermore, the combined expertise of the teams from both organizations is anticipated to catalyze innovation within the realm of cloud services. As enterprises' requirements evolve, the increased capability for customized solutions championed by the merged entity is likely to favorably position it against competitors in the industry. The holistic approach to providing infrastructure solutions could well become a benchmark for other service providers to follow.

Masterson's commentary on the acquisition reiterates the ultimate goal - to elevate the customer journey. "Our paramount interest lies in the continuous provision of exceptional service to both our loyal and forthcoming clients, as we integrate the companies," he exclaimed. This customer-first perspective is an indispensable aspect of LightEdge's sustained growth and a shared ethos with Connectria that will likely prosper under the new arrangement.

LightEdge's acquisition of Connectria marks a momentous milestone in the broader landscape of the United States' infrastructure provision, one that positions the company at the forefront of an industry witnessing rapid growth and transformation. As a unified force, the future looks bright for their capacity to serve existing and prospective clients with even more robust, versatile, and secure digital infrastructure solutions.

As the market for cloud services transitions through an era of remarkable growth and diversification, the import of such strategic mergers becomes increasingly pertinent. With a clientele demanding higher levels of reliability and service adaptability, the combined strengths of LightEdge and Connectria could potentially redefine the benchmarks for service delivery in the sector.

In conclusion, the convergence of LightEdge's and Connectria's proficiencies ushers in a new chapter in the realm of IT infrastructure—a chapter characterized by strong leadership, synergetic capabilities, and unwavering dedication to the customer experience. The implications of this merger, with its expanded resources, innovative horizon, and legacy of reliability, signal a dynamic and prosperous direction for the digital future.