Cloud professional services is the market for hyperscaler-certified migration and managed-cloud specialists. Between 2015 and 2025 we recorded 996 acquisitions of cloud services providers worldwide, using proprietary counts from the Aventis Advisors deal database of more than 125,000 transactions. Buyers split between the global consultancies paying premiums for certified capability and cloud-native platforms built almost entirely through M&A. This article ranks the most active buyers and is part of our ranking of the top strategic acquirers of IT services companies.
If you run an AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud partner with real migration or managed-services depth, you are in a well-bid segment. The buyer type ranges from a global integrator that will integrate you, to a PE-backed cloud platform that will keep you as a brand and add you to its stack.
Who’s buying cloud services providers: 2015-2025 in numbers
Cloud-services M&A peaked in the cheap-capital years of 2020-2022 as buyers raced to add hyperscaler capability, and remains active. Some of the largest disclosed deals here are the consultancies’ premium buys of certified migration specialists.
The most active buyers of cloud services providers at a glance
Deal counts cover announced acquisitions of cloud professional-services firms from 2015 to 2025, families consolidated. “Type” marks strategic/operating buyers versus private equity funds.
| # | Buyer | Type | 2015-2019 | 2020-2022 | 2023-2025 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Accenture |
Strategic | 4 | 6 | 2 | 12 |
| 2 |  Claranet |
Strategic | 6 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| 3 |  IBM |
Strategic | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| 4 |  Ekco |
Strategic | 0 | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| 5 |  Cognizant |
Strategic | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 6 |  Devoteam |
Strategic | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 7 |  Visolit |
Strategic | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 8 |  SoftwareOne |
Strategic | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 9 |  Noventiq |
Strategic | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 |  Qodea |
Strategic | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
1) Accenture
Overview: The world’s largest technology consulting and IT services firm, domiciled in Ireland (Dublin), paying premiums for hyperscaler-certified migration and managed-cloud specialists that strengthen its cloud practice.
Acquisition pace: 12 cloud deals, the most in our data, weighted to 2020-2022, 4 in 2015-2019, 6 in 2020-2022, and 2 in 2023-2025.
Typical target: certified cloud-migration and managed-services firms across the US, Europe, and Australia.
Select transactions: Cognosante (US, ~$1bn, 2024), Cloud Sherpas (US, ~$407m, 2015), and Olikka (Australia, 2020, undisclosed). Cognosante is a federal health administration services business rather than a commercial cloud provider, so read it as a public-sector services deal rather than a benchmark for a commercial cloud practice.
2) Claranet
Overview: A UK-headquartered managed cloud and hosting group that expanded across Europe and Latin America through acquisition.
Acquisition pace: 10 cloud deals, weighted to 2015-2019.
Typical target: European and Brazilian managed-cloud and hosting providers.
Select transactions: Geko Cloud (Spain, 2022), Mandic (Brazil, 2021), and CorpFlex (Brazil, 2020).
3) IBM
Overview: IBM acquires cloud and hybrid-cloud services firms to feed its consulting and Red Hat-centered hybrid-cloud strategy.
Acquisition pace: 9 cloud deals spread across the period.
Typical target: Cloud migration and managed-services specialists, often regional.
Select transactions: the managed-hosting unit of AT&T (US, ~$40m, 2015), Agyla (France, 2023), and Applications Software Technology (US, 2025).
4) Ekco
Overview: An Ireland-based managed-cloud and security platform built through a rapid, private equity-backed acquisition program.
Acquisition pace: 8 cloud deals, almost all in 2020-2022.
Typical target: UK and Irish managed-cloud and cybersecurity providers.
Select transactions: Adapt-IT (Ireland, 2025), xTEN (UK, 2022), and Unity Technology Solutions (Ireland, 2022).
5) Cognizant
Overview: A global IT services firm that used acquisitions to build hyperscaler-certified cloud practices, disclosing values on several sizeable deals.
Acquisition pace: 7 cloud deals: two before 2020, four across 2020 to 2022, and one after. It bought Contino in 2019, then New Signature and 10th Magnitude in 2020.
Typical target: Azure and AWS migration and managed-cloud specialists.
Select transactions: New Signature (US, ~$312m, 2020), Contino (UK, ~$235m, 2019), and 10th Magnitude (US, ~$134m, 2020).
6) Devoteam
Overview: A French IT consulting and cloud group acquiring cloud and platform specialists across Europe.
Acquisition pace: 7 cloud deals, weighted to 2020-2022.
Typical target: European Google Cloud, AWS, and platform-transformation specialists.
Select transactions: Ubertas Consulting (UK, 2024), ALFUN (France, 2022), and Cloudeon (Denmark, 2021).
7) Visolit
Overview: A Nordic managed-cloud and IT services provider, headquartered in Norway, that consolidated regional cloud and hosting firms to build scale across the Nordics.
Acquisition pace: 6 cloud deals, weighted to the earlier years, 4 in 2015-2019 and 2 in 2020-2022.
Typical target: Norwegian and Swedish managed-cloud and hosting providers.
Select transactions: values undisclosed; targets include Doorway (Norway, 2017), H2O Data (Sweden, 2019), and Easify (Norway, 2021).
8) SoftwareOne
Overview: A Swiss software and cloud-services company, headquartered in Stans, acquiring cloud specialists to expand its managed and professional-services capability.
Acquisition pace: 5 cloud deals, weighted to 2020-2022, 1 in 2015-2019, 3 in 2020-2022, and 1 in 2023-2025.
Typical target: hyperscaler-focused migration and managed-cloud firms across Europe and Asia.
Select transactions: HeleCloud (UK, ~$41m, 2021), Predica (Poland, 2022), and Intelligence Partner (Spain, 2021).
9) Noventiq
Overview: A global IT solutions and services provider (formerly Softline), acquiring cloud and digital-transformation specialists across emerging markets to broaden its services stack.
Acquisition pace: 5 cloud deals, weighted to 2020-2022, 4 then and 1 in 2023-2025.
Typical target: managed-cloud and platform firms in India, Turkey, Egypt, and other high-growth markets.
Select transactions: values undisclosed; targets include Embee Software (India, 2021), Umbrella Infocare (India, 2022), and DigiTech (Egypt, 2023).
10) Qodea
Overview: A UK-based Google Cloud partner (formerly Appsbroker CTS) grown through acquisition of cloud-transformation specialists to build a specialist platform.
Acquisition pace: 4 cloud deals, all in 2023-2025.
Typical target: Google Cloud-focused consultancies in the UK and the Nordics.
Select transactions: values undisclosed; targets include Appsbroker (UK, 2023), TMC3 (UK, 2024), and TIQQE (Sweden, 2025).
Active private equity investors in cloud services
Repeat PE buyers of cloud services firms include Gryphon, Societe Generale Capital Partenaires, Clayton Dubilier & Rice, NorthEdge, Nord Holding, and TAC Partners (two buyouts each), and several of the platforms above (Ekco, Claranet, Qodea) are sponsor-backed. See our ranking of the top private equity investors in IT services.
What this means if you’re selling a cloud services provider
Hyperscaler partner status and recurring managed-services revenue are the value drivers. Use the current designations when you position the business: Microsoft retired the Gold and Silver competency model in 2022 and now awards Solutions Partner designations, with Azure Expert MSP the standout managed-cloud credential; the top consulting tier on AWS is Premier Tier Services Partner; and Google Cloud Premier Partner is the equivalent at the top of that ecosystem. Global consultancies (Accenture, IBM, Cognizant) pay premiums for certified capability and integrate the team; PE-backed cloud platforms (Ekco, Claranet, Qodea) keep you as a brand and bolt you onto a stack. A clean partner status with a hyperscaler and a growing managed-services annuity attract the strongest bids. See strategic versus financial buyers.
Thinking about selling your cloud business?
Aventis Advisors advises IT services founders on M&A. We help you identify the realistic buyers, position the business, and run a competitive process. Talk to our team.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the most active buyer of cloud services providers?
Accenture, with 12 cloud professional-services acquisitions between 2015 and 2025 in our database, ahead of Claranet (10) and IBM (9).
Who buys AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud partners?
The global consultancies (Accenture, IBM, Cognizant, Devoteam) buy certified partners for capability, while PE-backed platforms (Ekco, Claranet, Qodea) consolidate them. Certification and managed-services revenue drive interest.
What are cloud services firms worth?
Value depends on hyperscaler certifications, managed-services annuity revenue, and growth. See our IT services valuation multiples report.
About Aventis Advisors
Aventis Advisors is an M&A advisory firm focused on technology and IT services companies. We advise founders and owners on company sales, growth capital, and strategic transactions, combining sector focus with proprietary deal data such as the database behind this article. To discuss your options, get in touch.
