Zain will integrate Bios’s operations into its ZainTech unit over the next 12-18 months, if it gets approval for the deal, the company said. Neither Zain nor Bios provided a price for the acquisition.
Dominic Docherty (pictured, left), Bios Middle East managing director, said: “Bios shares with ZainTech the goal to become the region’s leading multi-cloud managed service provider. This deal will allow us to accelerate and scale towards that goal, with further benefits to both our customers and people.”
Bios, which employs 140 people, is a regional managed secure cloud provider with a presence in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Oman. It provides its own service CloudHPT, as well as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, plus managed multi-cloud access, security as a service, infrastructure as a service, and disaster recovery as a service.
Andrew Hanna (pictured, right), ZainTech CEO, said: “Managed cloud is a highly relevant and critical business area for our region, and with Bios’s established strong customer base, years of experience, and exceptional team, this strategic acquisition will supercharge our capabilities in hybrid and multi-cloud managed services and expand our offerings.”
Bader Al Kharafi, Zain vice-chairman and group CEO, said: “This deal represents a major step in ZainTech’s expansion strategy and our determination to transform Zain into a leading ICT and digital lifestyle provider.”
He said that ZainTech is a key part of the telco’s strategy “centred on evolving Zain’s core telecom business to maximize value and build on the company’s many strengths to selectively invest in growth verticals beyond standard mobile services”.
Hanna said: “The decision to acquire BIOS was driven by its relevance, presence, leadership, market access, and expertise. … Integrating the BIOS operations within ZainTech, coupled with leveraging Zain Group's regional footprint and advanced network, will enable us to provide customers the best enterprise cloud experiences in the region.”
