Cloud Sherpas Storms Australia, Asia-Pacific With Latest Cloud Acquisition

Cloud solution provider and Google Apps heavyweight Cloud Sherpas

Atlanta-based Cloud Sherpas has acquired New Zealand Google Apps reseller and cloud service provider WaveAdept, a pickup that gives Cloud Sherpas an established foothold in the Asia-Pacific region. WaveAdept marks Cloud Sherpas' first international acquisition.

While the terms of the WaveAdept buy weren't publicly released, Cloud Sherpas founder and marketing vice president Michael Cohn said Cloud Sherpas has already opened a Sydney, Australia office it to drive sales into APAC. This comes as IDC says the cloud market will jump 40 percent annually in Asia Pacific through 2014, making it one of the fastest growing cloud markets globally.

"The Asia market is a very fast growing market for cloud computing and Google Apps," Cohn said.

Cohn said WaveAdept gives Cloud Sherpas a local and connected talent pool and an enthusiastic group of Google Apps Certified Deployment Specialists and customers leveraging Google's cloud platform. WaveAdept has migrated dozens of companies and thousands of workers to Google Apps, and the firm has significant experience selling and servicing major accounts, Cloud Sherpas said.

"Google Apps adoption in Asia is accelerating because businesses in this market are seeing real benefits from replacing their legacy systems with pure cloud solutions," said Richard Suhr, Google Enterprise Sales Director for APAC, in a statement. "Google Apps Resellers have played a key role in the growth of Google Apps, and we're delighted to see Cloud Sherpas move into this region."

Cohn said Cloud Sherpas' push into APAC was born out of customer demand and the drive to become a top global cloud solution provider. Having a major presence in New Zealand, Australia and APAC will serve as a key differentiator for Cloud Sherpas, Cohn said.

"A lot of our clients have asked about our ability to train internationally," he said.

The WaveAdept buy marks Cloud Sherpas' third acquisition in just six weeks. Late last month, Cloud Sherpas acquired Beloit Solutions Group, an Overland Park, Kan.-based cloud solution provider that boosted Cloud Sherpas' Google presence in the Microsoft-dominated Midwest.

And on June 2 Cloud Sherpas acquired Omnetic, a San Francisco-based Google Apps solution provider.

According to Cohn, WaveAdept likely won't be the last acquisition for Cloud Sherpas this year. He said the company is continuing to look at ways to expand further into Asia and potentially into other markets like South America or Europe.

Cohn said Cloud Sherpas will hit the ground running in New Zealand and Australia in the wake of the WaveAdept purchase, and the company's previous two acquisitions have given Cloud Sherpas a strong integration process.

"We've gotten into a pretty solid pattern for how to do the integration work," he said.