Rodd Cunico (Orro Group)
Comscentre, CustomTec, Correct Solutions and Mach Technology Group have banded together to form a new player in the market called Orro Group.
The Sydney-headquartered group, which specialises in cloud, managed, networking and security services, is backed by private equity firms Liverpool Partners and Parc Capital. The combined group claims offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and the Philippines.
Orro is being led by CEO Rodd Cunico, along with COO Daniel Greengarten; CFO Fabian Kuehn; and CMO Stuart Myerscough.
Cunico spent almost two decades at Dimension Data where he rose through the ranks, eventually leading the global systems integrator until 2016. Since then, Cunico has held various management roles with companies such as Alata Group and D2 & Associates.
Greengarten spent seven years with Dimension Data and also worked for Bluefire.
As a combined entity, Orro Group claims more than 300 employees and 400 customers, including brands such as Australia Post, Fujifilm Business Innovation, Bing Lee, QBE and a new addition, The Salvation Army.
As a result of the merger, Comscentre managing director Ben Shipley is transitioning out of the business, along with Mach Technology Group's Paul Pettigrew; while CustomTec's Damian Higgins is joining the board as a non-executive director; and Correct Solutions' Ryan Spillane is staying onboard as director of transformation and integration.
All business brands will eventually transition into the Orro brand in the near future.
The group features three divisions that make up the business, labelled Network and Services; Managed Cloud and Services; and Security.
Cunico said it had taken up two years to reach the point of launching Orro as the various companies were purchased at different stages. The idea for Orro was sparked by an opportunity in the mid-market cloud and networking space, a cornerstone of the market that has been gaining significant ground.
"Looking at the Australian market place, the mid-market is very fragmented with lots of different organisations, and among all the large national and international players such as Data#3, Datacom, NTT and telcos, there aren't many companies that are approaching scale in the mid-market," he said.
"The private equity firms saw the opportunity to be very strategic in terms of acquiring some capability, bringing in some experienced management and bringing that together to create a platform that will really develop and refine an important strategy that was resonating with customers," he added.
Cunico said Comscentre, CustomTec, Correct Solutions and Mach Technology Group were aligned in their company values and strategies -- looking after their customers and employees, and hinted the group would continue to build up its business through organic growth and acquisition strategies. But his immediate focus remains on continuing to bring the four organisations together.
"We're continuously looking for organisations that fit the profile we're after in terms of value and our go-to-market, but I'm really focused on continuing to set out and create the most respected IT services organisation," he said.
“Orro is uniquely positioned to deliver a new generation of secure network and digital infrastructure solutions, tailored to the specific needs of each customer. With operations across fast-growing technology areas, strong partnerships and more than 400 customers that share our vision, our technologies deliver greater efficiency, performance, agility and resilience.
“Orro’s network creates new opportunities for our customers, as well as our partners and employees. Under this new model, we will be able to achieve further market expansion whilst continuing to deliver the trust and credibility we have built over the years with our existing customers.”
As part of its Network and Services division, Orro will design, deliver, secure and manage enterprise SD-WAN and MPLS networks, which currently support more than 400 customers covering 10,000 sites across the country.
It is expected that the group will maintain an agnostic approach in the procurement of National Broadband Network (NBN), carrier fibre, satellite, wireless and 4G/5G services. Some of the key features will include active carrier monitoring and selection; simplified management through performance monitoring; and billing and support provided through a one touch control proprietary enterprise network management platform.
Within its Managed Cloud and Services division, the group offers several hosted and cloud solutions including the creation and management of hosted solutions within third-party data centres, and the delivery of public cloud solutions via hyperscale cloud providers.
Orro has data centre and disaster recovery infrastructure across the country, support centre service services in Australia and the Philippines, as well as proprietary SmartOptions proactive monitoring and maintenance solutions.
Orro’s Security division, meanwhile, entail embedded security solutions across network, cloud, data centre and device, as well as consulting services specialising in the protection of digital infrastructure.
Orro’s newest project with The Salvation Army involves a transformation from MPLS to a Cisco Meraki SD-WAN platform, a switching refresh, network connectivity and managed services across more than 350 sites.
The new national network will connect The Salvation Army offices, support facilities and data centres nationally. Orro will also be responsible for network management, with the agreement spanning three years.
The financial details of the mass merger haven't been disclosed.
Orro is not the first group in Australia to emerge as a result of private equity backers seeing an opportunity in pulling together a number of partners to create a new entity designed to fill a gap in the local market.
Cyber security supergroup CyberCX, for example, came about when private equity firm BGH Capital got behind the idea to roll together twelve of Australia’s leading independent cyber security brands -- Alcorn, Assurance, Asterisk, CQR, Diamond, Enosys, Klein&Co., Phriendly Phishing, Sense of Security, Shearwater, TSS and YellIT.
The company has acquired more players since then.
