HP’s New Zealand unit agreed to acquire the assets of privately
owned CGNZ Ltd. in a bid to solidify its position as the premier IT service
provider in New Zealand.
Financial terms of the deal were not made public.
CGNZ helps corporate customers with the strategy, implementation and support
of technology services, including architecture, business intelligence,
mobility and software development.
HP said in a statement the deal would essentially give the unit premium
business consulting talent to boost HP’s service offering in a country where
the Palo Alto, Calif., systems vendor is not as strong as it could be.
CGNZ also brings a well-regarded enterprise resource planning practice to
the table for HP, along with prowess in sectors such as energy and
utilities, health, manufacturing and government.
“CGNZ’s business consulting services offer a complementary set of skills to
round out our service offering,” said Keith Watson, managing director, HP
New Zealand, in a statement.
The deal is expected to close within one month, whereupon CGNZ and its staff
of 180 will be tucked into HP services’ consulting and integration unit.
New Zealand might not be a traditional fount of high-tech business. But HP
has increasingly shown an interest in expanding its sphere of influence all
over the globe to bulk up its already massive services unit. This has been
particularly true with regard to the systems vendor’s services and
consulting business.
In May 2004, the company purchased Dallas-based ManageOne and U.K.-based CEC Europe Service Management to
improve its information technology service management (ITSM) portfolio.
Deals like this align with CEO Mark Hurd’s mission to “sell more” and
improve the way the company goes to market. Hurd made this case at a meeting
with HP investors in New York Wednesday, where he showed his comfort level
with HP’s sprawling business.
Separately, BT and HP today announced a five-year European IT and networking
services contract with Hertz Europe Ltd.
BT and HP will supply Hertz with IT and networking services, including
Internet-based virtual private networks that utilize DSL to connect Hertz’s
corporate headquarters to more than 1,100 car rental sites across Europe. BT
and HP will also support more than 5,000 desktop devices, 3,000 printers and
148 servers for the rental agency.
