Press Release: Worklyn Announces Acquisition of NetXperts

On the heels of its 2021 Fundraise and its investment in Quadrant Information Security, Worklyn Partners acquired NetXperts, a California-based Cisco Gold Certified Partner and leading provider of network engineering, IT, and networking solutions for West Coast Public Sector entities

WALNUT CREEK, CA: Worklyn Partners has announced its acquisition of NetXperts, a leading provider of IT solutions, network engineering, and managed IT services. Founded by Gary Nordine in his garage, NetXperts has been connecting the backbone of civic society and securing Californian state, local, and educational entities for over 25 years. Key partnerships with both Cisco and Microsoft, as well as other critical networking and cybersecurity vendors, undergird company-wide software and hardware expertise that enables NetXperts to deliver a diverse suite of IT solutions. NetXperts’ IT, networking, and cybersecurity solutions enable connectivity, drive business value and protect some of the most critical state and local government organizations in the West.

Founded by Zack Miller and Johnny Lieberman, Worklyn Partners is a committed capital investment firm that makes control investments in cybersecurity and IT services firms. Uniquely, Worklyn is focused exclusively on this sector. NetXperts is Worklyn’s second acquisition, following in the footsteps of the firm’s initial investment in Quadrant Information Security, a leading provider of managed security monitoring and detection services. The capabilities of NetXperts and Quadrant will complement each other and future strategic acquisitions as Worklyn expands its cybersecurity and IT services platform.

Johnny Lieberman, a co-founder of Worklyn, commented, “We’re really excited to partner with the team at NetXperts as a centerpiece investment in our flagship fund. They impressed our team with their deep understanding of the public sector IT services space and their commitment to excellence in engineering and service delivery.”

Backed by growth investment from Worklyn, NetXperts will continue to expand its brand and work to combine its services offering with Worklyn’s previous investment: Quadrant Information Security. Worklyn is committed to growing its offering and doing more for the critical West Coast public sector entities that NetXperts already serves, and NetXperts is committed to growing its team and its capabilities to continue to innovate as a partner and an IT service provider.

About Worklyn Partners

Worklyn partners is an investment firm focused exclusively on the Cybersecurity and IT services markets. Worklyn has assembled a group of partners both with extensive investing and sector expertise to help grow technology companies at the rapidly expanding and evolving intersection of cybersecurity and IT services. Worklyn Partners currently has offices in New York, NY; Jacksonville, FL; and Walnut Creek, CA. For more information visit: www.worklynpartners.com

About NetXperts

NetXperts is a leading provider of managed IT and network engineering services headquartered in Walnut Creek, CA with additional offices in Ontario, CA and outside Los Angeles. Since 1996 the team at NetXperts has built a reputation on being a leader in network and IT solutions to local California public sector organizations. The company specializes in professional services include planning, design, assessment, installation, deployment, troubleshooting, monitoring, 24x7 network operations and monitoring. NetXperts has key partnerships with Cisco Systems, Microsoft, EMC, HP, VMware, Carbon Black, Verkada, and many other leading technology vendors. For more information visit: www.netxperts.com

Press Release: Worklyn Partners Announces Acquisition of Quadrant Information Security

Debut growth equity firm gets to work with investment in a growing provider of managed detection and response (MDR) services powered by proprietary security analytics software.

JACKSONVILLE, FL – January 26, 2022 - Worklyn Partners, a growth equity fund investing and operating at the intersection of cybersecurity and IT services, announced today its acquisition of Quadrant Information Security, an emerging managed detection and response (MDR) provider, and Jacksonville’s leading hub for cybersecurity talent, technology, and capabilities. On the heels of the first close of its maiden fund at over $35 million, Worklyn’s investment will enable Quadrant to scale its proprietary technology platform and accelerate faster growth. 

Building on over a decade of delivering innovative IT and security solutions to businesses and enterprises, Quadrant provides managed threat detection, analysis, and monitoring capabilities in conjunction with other IT services as part of a comprehensive portfolio of cybersecurity offerings. At the core of Quadrant’s platform is their proprietary technology, Sagan. More than a traditional SIEM (security information and event management) tool, the Sagan Solution is an all-inclusive information security ecosystem that offers real-time identification, validation, and notification on malicious activity at both the log and network levels.

“Cybersecurity software and tooling is important, but most businesses need outside experts and outsourced service providers to truly get the most out of their tools and 24/7 security monitoring to prevent or at least minimize the impact of cyber attacks,” said Zack Miller, Partner and Co-Founder of Worklyn Partners. “Given the national shortage of cybersecurity talent and the growing prevalence of cyber threats, we don’t think this reality will change any time soon. The Quadrant team has built a phenomenal software platform, but above all, they are a talented, high-integrity team.”

Serving as the centerpiece for Worklyn’s cybersecurity platform, Quadrant will leverage the growth equity investment to build out its expert team of security analysts, engineers, developers, and consultants, and to continue to evolve Sagan as the leading platform for security analytics.

“We couldn’t be more optimistic about our partnership with Worklyn and the years ahead of us,” said Ian Bush, President and CEO of Quadrant. “The Quadrant brand was started over ten years ago, with a heavy focus on our Sagan platform and supporting SOC service. This new relationship will provide the resources necessary for the continued development of our existing offerings, as well as new security services slated for future release.” 

“For over a decade, we have been building outstanding technologies supported by a second-to-none SOC and an expert engineering team, which has allowed us to provide high-quality service to all of our clients. The Worklyn team shares our dedication to customer satisfaction, and with their help, we can accelerate innovation on our Sagan platform,” added Quadrant CTO Champ Clark.   

Quadrant has experienced impressive growth over the past five years, and now serves customers of various sizes across the country, from large enterprises to smaller businesses ranging across all verticals, from hospitals to technology companies. Within the $150 billion global cybersecurity market, Quadrant competes primarily in the managed detection and response (MDR) segment, which is expected to grow at over 20 percent per year over the next five years.

About Worklyn Partners

Worklyn Partners is an industry-focused growth equity fund building a network of portfolio companies to form a one-stop-shop for cybersecurity and IT services. Led by founders Johnny Lieberman and Zack Miller, Worklyn is uniquely focused on emerging companies in a booming and critical sector. The firm differentiates with a truly operational approach, wherein its partners join the management teams of portfolio companies. Backed by a diversified investor base and a network of operators with deep industry experience, Worklyn’s vision is to build a portfolio of IT and cyber services providers that, together, serve as a trusted partner to organizations that lack the resources to conquer all of their IT and security challenges alone. To learn more, visit worklynpartners.com. 

About Quadrant Information Security

Quadrant Information Security is a managed detection and response (MDR) and enterprise security services provider based in Jacksonville, FL. Its consultative approach, proprietary software platform, and unique array of services offerings, coupled with its strong past performance and highly skilled security professionals, make it an appealing provider in the cybersecurity arena. Quadrant is committed to supporting organizations in all vertical markets by protecting sensitive data using an integrated service offerings approach tailored to each client’s needs. To learn more, visit quadrantsec.com.

7 Do’s and Don’ts to Consider When Selling Your IT Services Company: June 2021

Note: this blog post originally appeared on the CompTIA blog in June 2021.

With business valuations at historical peaks, the new administration poised to raise capital gains taxes, and more private equity firms aggressively hunting for recurring revenue from managed services providers, 2021 is shaping up to see the most MSP merger and acquisition activity to date.

All of this activity has some business owners wondering: “Is now the time to sell my IT services business?” Whether you think you’re ready to sell tomorrow or in three years, there are some guidelines worth considering sooner rather than later. Understanding the “do’s and don’ts” below will help prepare your business for a clean, value-maximizing sale, while avoiding the horrors of a broken deal.

We’ve worked with more than 100 cybersecurity and IT services providers in the last 12 months as we work towards building a one-stop-shop security and IT services provider. Based on our discussions with business owners and deep dives into their businesses, we’ve picked out some common themes and shared buyer criteria that may be helpful for various stakeholders in the IT services community to consider as they explore exit opportunities.   

DON’T Just Ignore Calls from Brokers and Private Investors

Even if you’ve never really thought about selling your business, set aside a little time—maybe as little as 30 minutes a month—to hear out an interested investor. You don’t need to let them grill you. Rather, you should ask them up front: “what differentiates you as a capital provider.” More importantly, use the conversation to learn how investors will look at and value your business, what makes your business attractive, and what you can improve upon if you want to fetch a higher price when you do decide to exit.

DO Start with the End in Mind

Do you want to cash out entirely and go sit on a beach? If so, engaging with a technology services provider or a private-equity-backed “rollup” that is consolidating a batch of similar smaller firms may be your best option. There’s a higher risk around integration hiccups and culture clash, but that doesn’t matter so much if you no longer have a significant stake in the business.

Some independent “search funds” will also look to buy your business alone, and replace you as CEO, which may be attractive if you want to ensure your customers and employees are treated right. But you have to make sure they have the money to do the deal before you spend too much time with a search fund.

Would you rather take some chips off the table but retain an equity stake to take another bite at the apple? In that case, you want to find an investor that views you as “the platform.” This can be a private equity firm, or an independent sponsor. You’ll get more upside and more operational control as the platform (and often, a higher valuation multiple—good leadership is hard to find!), but you’ve got to trust your investor-partner here and buy into their vision. 

DON’T Be Afraid to Have This Conversation Up-Front

It’s critical and it informs everything else—from which potential buyers you’ll spend time with to who (if anyone) you’ll hire to help you run any future sale process.

DO Be Honest About Where Your Business Falls Short

Investors don’t expect you to have a perfect business when they show up on the first day after investing. In fact, that’s often precisely why they are investing—because they have identified key initiatives for improvement or growth levers that have not yet been pulled. By proactively highlighting your weaknesses along with your strengths, you’ll build trust with the potential buyer, thereby speeding up the process, increasing the likelihood of closing a transaction, and smoothing the post-investment integration path. Paradoxically, identified areas for improvement—you can call them out as “avenues for growth acceleration” or something fancy—may even help buyers get comfortable paying more for your business. 

DON’T Misrepresent Labor Costs and Gross Margins

We’ve seen some business owners (not always intentionally) juice their gross margins by under-allocating labor as a cost of goods sold for managed services. Experienced buyers will see right through this, and as we just discussed, establishing trust is critical to increasing the likelihood of a quick process and successful acquisition. If buyers sense you’re playing games with labor cost allocations, they’ll wonder where other warts might be hiding.

DO Emphasize Cloud and Security Capabilities and Certifications

Duh. If you’re reading this blog, we probably don’t have to explain this, but buyers will pay an extra turn (or two) on their valuation multiple for in-demand capabilities like cybersecurity and cloud management that enable penetration of growing markets.

DON’T Waste Time Providing Customized Information to Buyers

You have a business to run! You can send the same package to multiple buyers—they won’t be offended, and it doesn’t hurt to make sure that they know that they aren’t the only company you’re considering. Provide the basics needed to get to valuation and structuring conversation. Then, try to have that conversation before you start diverting more resources to the process. Initial calls and relationship building are great but spending too much time on a failed sale process can be distracting and even destructive for resource-constrained business that relies on human talent to succeed.