IBM acquires Accelalpha, world's biggest Oracle logistics practice

IBM has announced plans to snap up Oracle consultancy and services company Accelalpha.

Accelalpha, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, sells business and IT services for Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications.

According to IBM, Accelalpha will bring “deep expertise helping clients digitise core business operations and accelerate the adoption of Oracle Cloud Applications”, including Supply Chain Management and Logistics, ERP, Enterprise Performance Management and Customer Transformation.

The consultancy works with enterprises around the implementation and integration of Oracle Cloud products and related training; provides help with migrations away from on-premises systems, outsourced services around problem resolution, testing and upgrades for Oracle environments; and offers support with digital transformation.

The acquisition will allow IBM to strengthen its offerings in industries including finance, logistics and distribution, Big Blue said. Accelalpha is currently the biggest Oracle logistics practice worldwide, and the company works with clients across EMEA and North and South America.

Accelalpha was set up in 2009 by its CEO Nat Ganesh. The company has expanded over the last four years with investment from VC firm Century Park, which has seen it add a new managed services practice as well as offshore and nearshore offices, and expand its sales and marketing efforts.

A string of acquisitions accelerates growth

The consultancy has also made a series of acquisitions, including cloud warehouse management company Prolog Partners, Hyperion Oracle EPM services consultancy Key Performance Ideas and Oracle cloud consultancies Frontera Consulting and LogistiChange.

According to Century Park, the company’s revenue has quadrupled since 2020, both due to its acquisitions and organic growth.

IBM has made a number of consultancy-focused acquisitions in recent years. In 2023, it bought French cloud professional services firm Agyla to build out its offerings in the country, and later that year, it purchased Equine Global to bolster its cloud and ERP capabilities for Indonesian businesses.

Earlier this year, IBM acquired Skyarch Networks, a professional services company focused on AWS headquartered in Japan, and UK firm SiXworks, which offers digital transformation consultancy services for the likes of the defence sector.

IBM’s acquisition of Accelalpha is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this financial year. Once the acquisition is complete, Accelalpha will become part of IBM Consulting.

The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.