Microsoft upsets the applecart

Facebook’s rebranding and Apple losing its crown to Microsoft as the USA's most valuable public company dominated the international ICT market last month.

• The Competition Commission has approved the acquisition by Canada’s Volaris Group of Adapt IT.
• An offer has been made to shareholders of Alaris that, if successful, would see the delisting of Alaris from the JSE.
• One Thousand & One Voices has picked up a R200 million investment in Digital Ecosystems, an investment holding company that provides integrated technology services to the telecommunications sector.
• Metrofile has agreed to acquire IronTree Internet Services, which provides data management services, including cloud backup, disaster recovery and specialised server hosting in a private cloud (R140 million).
• Novomind, a German software developer of customer service solutions, has entered the South African market by establishing a presence in Cape Town.
• The appointments of new CEOs/MDs at ETS Innovations, MWeb and Workday SA.

• Seacom acquired Hirani Telecom’s metro fibre networks.
• Digital Realty has unveiled plans to acquire Medallion Data Centres, one of Africa’s leading co-location and interconnection providers.
• Google plans to invest $1 billion in Africa over the next five years to ensure access to fast and cheaper internet and will back start-ups to support the continent's digital transformation.
• MTN Uganda has received regulatory approval to list 20% of its shareholding on Uganda's bourse.

• 3D Systems acquired Volumetric Biotechnologies, a biotech company.
• UK-based Aabyss bought Netcom Technologies, which offers IT support, cyber security, business continuity and modern workplace services.
• Accenture purchased Advoco, one of the largest systems integrators for Infor EAM, a leading software as a service suite for enterprise asset management; Glamit, a boutique e-commerce agency in Argentina that offers experience design and technology, including e-commerce and platform architecture, brand strategy, digital marketing services and direct-to-consumer solutions; and Xoomworks Group, a consulting and technology company that specialises in procurement technology, digital innovation and software solutions development; and it has agreed to acquire BRIDGEi2i, an AI and analytics firm.
• Activision bought Digital Legends, a Spanish-based mobile game developer.
• Alteryx purchased Hyper Anna, a leading cloud platform for generating AI-driven automated insights from data, and Lore IO, a no-code AI-enabled data modelling platform that rapidly deploys analytics that adapt easily within a changing business environment.
• Alation acquired Lyngo Analytics, a start-up developer of AI-based data intelligence software.
• UK-based Arrow Business Communications bought the Circle Group, an IT consultancy and solutions provider.
• Avanade purchased Quantiq, one of the top Microsoft Dynamics systems integrators in the world.

Facebook has rebranded itself as Meta.

• Centrilogic bought fellow solution provider and MSP 3RP.
• CloudCoCo purchased IDE Group's loss-making Connect business, which also includes IDE's Nimoveri business, an IT MSP, which it acquired in June.
• CSG acquired DGIT Systems, a provider of configure, price and quote and order management solutions for the telecoms industry.
• Cuadrilla Capital bought Agilence, a provider of a retail data management and analytics platform.
• Databricks purchased 8080 Labs and its low-code/no-code data analysis technology.
• FactSet acquired Cobalt Software, a portfolio monitoring solutions provider for the private capital industry.
• Globant bought Argentina-based Atix Labs, a professional services company specialising in the blockchain market.
• Graphy purchased Spayee, an edtech platform.
• Help/Systems acquired Digital Guardian, the industry’s only SaaS provider of data loss prevention solutions for large and mid-sized organisations, and PhishLabs, a leading cyber threat intelligence company.
• Infor purchased Lighthouse Systems, a leading provider of manufacturing execution system software for smart manufacturing.
• Ingram Micro acquired CloudLogic, a cloud data centre consulting company.
• inTEST bought most of the assets of Videology Imaging Solutions and Videology Imaging Solutions Europe, a global designer, developer and manufacturer of OEM digital streaming and image capturing solutions.
• Keysight Technologies purchased Scalable Network Technologies, a leader in communications network simulation and modelling solutions for design, test and analysis, as well as cyber assessment and training.
• Lumine Group, a division of the Volaris Group, acquired Kansys, a provider of modular billing subscription management, event intelligence and mediation software for communication service providers and tier one enterprise corporations.
• Microsoft bought Ally.io, a productivity platform that helps improve employee experience by aligning their work to the company's strategic mission and core priorities; Clear Software, a provider of integration and business-process products with an emphasis on SAP and Oracle; and Two Hat, a content moderation provider.
• NCS, Singtel’s ICT arm, purchased Australian-based Eighty20 Solutions, a cloud security and compliance services company.
• Ola acquired GeoSpoc, a geospatial services provider
• One Identity bought OneLogin, a single sign-on, multi-factor authentication and customer identity and access management company.
• Patria Investments purchased cyber security companies Neosecure and Proteus to create the largest information security platform in Latin America.
• Paychex acquired Flock, a benefits enrolment and administration, onboarding and human resources information system provider.
• Paytm acquired CreditMate, a digital lending start-up.
• PDQ.com bought SimpleMDM, an Apple device management platform.
• Perion Network purchased Vidazoo, a video technology company that enables both advertisers and publishers to deliver high impact content and advertising to consumers.
• Procore Technologies acquired LaborChart, a provider of workforce management software for specialty contractors and self-performing general contractors.
• Raptor Technologies bought CPOMS, the top provider of student safeguarding software to schools in the UK.
• Riskonnect, a leader in integrated risk management solutions, purchased ICIX, a value chain governance company that empowers businesses to manage, monitor and verify ESG performance.
• UK-based Sage acquired GoProposal, a provider of proposal management software for small and mid-sized accountancy firms.
• Sensata Technologies bought SmartWitness Holdings, a privately held innovator of video telematics technology for commercial fleets.
• Stripe purchased India-based Recko, a payments software firm.
• SumUp acquired Fivestars, a provider of a payments and marketing platform ($317 million).
• Sverica Capital Management bought a majority stake in Automated Control Concepts, a systems integrator that specialises in process control, manufacturing intelligence, cyber security and industrial networking.
• T-Base Communications purchased CommonLook, a provider of software and services that enable electronic document accessibility.
• Tech Mahindra acquired Lodestone, a digital engineering quality assurance provider for new age digital companies ($105 million).
• Tetra Tech bought Enterprise Automation, a leader in digital water transformation consulting services.
• Twitter purchased Sphere, a group chat app.
• Vonage acquired Singapore-based Jumper.ai, an omni-channel conversational commerce solutions firm.
• Virtuozzo bought Jelastic, a multicloud platform as a service software company.
• WidePoint Corporation purchased IT Authorities, a globally ranked MSP, MSSP and cloud services provider.
• Xerox acquired Competitive Computing (C2), an IT services company.
• Hungary-based 4iG has agreed to buy a 51% stake in Israel-based Spacecom, a satellite operator.
• Apple will be hit with an EU anti-trust charge over its NFC chip technology and the risk of a possible hefty fine, which could force it to open its mobile payment system to rivals. It has also lost its crown to Microsoft as the USA's most valuable public company.
• Applied Data Corporation has entered into an agreement to acquire Pinpoint Software, a provider of software solutions driving operational efficiencies and execution for grocers and other retailers.
• Australia's Aristocrat Leisure will buy London-listed gaming software supplier Playtech (£2.1 billion).
• Cancom UK&I will start operating under the Telefónica Tech UK&I brand after being acquired at the end of July for €398 million.
• CDW plans to acquire Sirius Computer Solutions, a services powerhouse ($2.5 billion).
• CGI will buy Cognicase Management Consulting, a provider of technology and management consulting services and solutions.
• Cisco plans to acquire Replex, a Kubernetes governance and cost-management start-up with a platform purpose-built for cloud native infrastructure.
• Cree has changed its name to Wolfspeed.
• Emerson Electric plans to merge two of its software businesses with smaller rival Aspen Technology in a deal worth about $11 billion.
• EQT has agreed to sell Spanish telecoms provider Adamo to France's Ardian Infrastructure.
• Facebook has rebranded itself as Meta.
• FireEye has changed its name to Mandiant.
• Fiserv has inked a deal to buy BentoBox, a digital marketing and commerce platform focused on restaurant services.
• Flex has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Anord Mardix, a leader in critical power solutions.
• Forcepoint has reached a deal to acquire Bitglass, a cloud security start-up.
• GN Store Nord will buy Steelseries, a gaming gear company ($1.25 billion).
• IBM plans to buy the Adobe Workfront consulting unit and assets of Rego Consulting.
• Softbank-backed InMobi has signed a definitive agreement to acquire London-based Appsumer, a performance insights platform for mobile app advertisers.
• Insightsoftware has agreed to acquire Magnitude Software, a provider of operational reporting and intelligence for data-driven enterprises.
• ironSource has entered into an agreement to acquire Tapjoy, a mobile advertising and app monetisation company; and idalgo, a marketing software company.
• KnowBe4 has entered into a material definitive agreement to acquire SecurityAdvisor, whose technology utilises integrations with over 50 leading vendors in the cyber security ecosystem to identify and correlate human behaviour-driven security alerts generated across each layer of the existing security stack.
• NetApp has signed a definitive agreement to acquire CloudCheckr, a leading cloud optimisation platform that provides cloud visibility and insights to lower costs; maintain security and compliance; and optimise cloud resources.
• Nintex, the global standard for process management and automation, has signed a definitive agreement to sell a majority stake to TPG Capital.
• Ouster has agreed to buy Sense Photonics, a solid-state lidar start-up.
• Providence Equity Partners has taken a majority stake in Tenstreet, a provider of driver recruiting software and workflow solutions for the trucking industry.
• Qualcomm and SSW Partners have reached a deal to buy Veoneer, a Swedish automotive technology group ($4.5 billion).
• Roper Technologies has reached a definitive agreement to divest its TransCore business to Singapore Technologies Engineering, a global technology, defence and engineering group ($2.68 billion).
• Scientific Games has signed a deal to buy ACS PlayOn, a cashless table game solution.
• Italy-based SECO has entered a binding agreement to buy German-based Garz & Fricke, an internet of things solutions producer (€180 million).
• Swedish-based Sivers Semiconductors will acquire MixComm, a millimetre wave semiconductor supplier ($135 million).
• Smart Global Holdings has rebranded to SGH.
• Sopra Steria has signed an exclusive negotiation agreement with a view to acquiring the EVA Group, a cyber security firm.
• Stratasys has acquired all the remaining shares of Xaar 3D it doesn’t already own.
• Telefonica has agreed to sell its mobile phone unit in El Salvador to General International Telecom ($144 million).
• Telstra has agreed to buy the Pacific operations of Digicel Group, a telecoms firm ($1.6 billion).
• TPG has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Nintex, an automation software business.
• Twitter has agreed to sell MoPub, its mobile ad company, to AppLovin ($1.05 billion).
• Trustwave has sold its legacy payment card industry compliance business to Sysnet Global Solutions.
• Verisk has entered into an agreement to acquire ACTINEO, a rapidly expanding international market leader for the digitalisation and medical assessment of bodily injury claims.
• Zendesk will buy Momentive Global, owner of the popular SurveyMonkey platform ($4 billion).
• Francisco Partners invested in Paradigm, a market-leading provider of practice management software and integrated payments to the legal industry.
• Unnamed existing investors made a $2 billion investment in Magic Leap, an AR company.
• Permira invested in Motus, the premier reimbursement software platform for the anywhere workforce.
• Rakuten Mobile invested in JTOWER, a Japanese tower infrastructure specialist.
• Several investor groups made a $250 million investment in Wiz, an Israeli cyber security start-up.
• Silver Lake made a €709 million investment in Brussels-based Euroclear, a publicly traded provider of data, technology and market infrastructure.
• Summit Partners made a $625 million investment in Invicti Security.
• Zoom Video Communications invested in DTEN, a provider of immersive, video-first devices and subscription services.
• Andreessen Horowitz and Tiger Global Management co-led a $400 million investment in ClickUp, a task management software company.
• Andreessen Horowitz led a $150 million investment in Sky Mavis, the developer of crypto-based online game Axie Infinity.
• Insight Partners led an investment in Skyflow, the creator of an API-based data privacy platform that helps companies in sectors such as fintech and healthtech store and manage sensitive customer data.
• Lightspeed Venture Partners led a $200 million investment in cloud networking specialist Cato Networks.
• Madrone Capital Partners led a $200 million investment in Aura, a consumer digital security start-up.
• Oxshott Capital Partners led a $300 million investment in Byju, an edtech company.
• Poalim Equity and Gil Agmon led a $136 million investment in Hailo, an artificial intelligence-focused Israeli-based chipmaker.
• Sequoia and Global Growth led a $250 million investment in Rippling, the developer of an employee management platform that helps businesses unify their HR and IT data.
• SoftBank’s Latin America Fund, Amazon and Accel led a $108 million investment in Pismo, the cloud-native core banking and payments platform.
• Temasek led a $340 million investment in Orca Security, a cloud security firm.
• The appointments of new CEOs at Arcserve, Atos, Citrix Systems (interim), GSTechnologies, Insight Enterprises, InterVision, Ivanti, KKR and STL.
• The death of Tom Richards, an ex-CEO of CDW.
• Withdrawn IPO filings from Allvue Systems (NYSE) and Lenovo (Shanghai).
• IPO filings from HireRight GIS Group Holdings NYSE), IX Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq), Rigetti (NYSE), Softline (London and Moscow) and Udemy (Nasdaq).
• IPOs/listings from AutoStore (Oslo), AvidXchange (Nasdaq), Enfusion (NYSE), Exclusive Networks (Paris), Gitlab (Nasdaq), GlobalFoundries (Nasdaq), Informatica (NYSE), OVHcloud (Paris), The Glimpse Group (Frankfurt), Softline (London and Moscow) and Udemy (Nasdaq).

• Worldwide IT spending is projected to total $4.5 trillion in 2022, an increase of 5.5% from 2021, according to Gartner.

• JSE All share index: Up 6%
• FTSE100: Up 3.1%
• DAX: Up 3.5%
• NYSE (Dow): Up 4.3%
• S&P 500: Up 5.7%
• Nasdaq: Up 6.4%
• Nikkei225: Up 0.4%
• Hang Seng: Up 3.3%
• Shanghai: Up 0.6%

• The finalisation of the IBM split and the completion of the separation of VMware from Dell.