4Sec Group primed for international acquisition following Metro VAD takeover

4Sec completes second UK acquisition, with sights now set on international expansion

4Sec Group has completed its second UK acquisition of the year and is now plotting an expansion into the international market, managing director Grahame Smee has told CRN.

4Sec Group today announced the acquisition of Blackpool-based Metro VAD, following up a deal for AlphaGen earlier in the year.

Founded in 2011, Metro VAD's flagship vendor is infrastructure security vendor Stormshield. Smee said that the deal brings a new set of channel partners to 4Sec's business.

"The services they offer are very good and the customer base is very loyal," he said. "Overall it's a good addition to the group.

"The customer base is really incremental to what we do - there are a lot of companies there that we don't deal with so it does bring another wave of partners for all of our vendors, so that's important.

"Vendors are always looking to add quality channel to their mix so it gives them access to more partners. It's all part of us adding value to our existing vendors as well."

Smee said that Metro VAD will join AlphaGen in the VAD arm of the 4Sec Group, which last month secured a deal to distribute virtualisation-based security specialist Bromium in the UK.

Following the Metro VAD deal, Smee said that 4Sec now has its sights on an international acquisition, adding that he hopes to complete a deal before the end of the year.

"We're looking to increase our UK business which is going well and the next thing you'll see will potentially be an international element to our business," Smee said. "We already do a limited amount of business outside the UK but that is going to grow.

"They'll be an international acquisition in the not-too-distant future. We're hoping to get that off the ground before Christmas, certainly."