Fusepoint Managed Services

Fusepoint Managed Services was a Canadian managed service provider that delivered outsourced infrastructure and application-support services to businesses across North America. The company was founded in 1999 and was formerly known as RoundHeaven Communications. Its service model focused on operating and protecting the technology environments on which customers depended, rather than requiring every customer to build and manage equivalent infrastructure internally. Fusepoint's offerings included infrastructure hosting, managed hosting on physical and virtual servers, disaster-recovery support, firewall security, and related professional and outsourcing services. These capabilities were intended to help organizations maintain access to mission-critical applications and data, improve business continuity, and reduce the operational burden associated with running data-centre environments. The company served both larger enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses. The business expanded through organic growth and acquisitions. It acquired Montreal-based outsourcing firm Versus in October 2004 and Toronto-based Worldwide Online, a hosting and professional-services company, in March 2005. Fusepoint also received venture-capital backing from Boston-based M/C Venture Partners, which invested US$20 million in July 2001 and a further US$10 million in 2004. According to the reference material, the company grew by more than 1,400 percent over a five-year period and was ranked 46th in PROFIT magazine's 2008 list of Canada's fastest-growing companies. The Branham Group also ranked it as the 83rd-largest technology company in Canada. Fusepoint developed a presence in the Canadian hosting market through geographically distributed offices and data centres in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City. Its certifications and partnerships were central to its enterprise positioning. In November 2007, it announced compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and was recognized by Visa as a Tier 1 PCI-certified service provider. In December 2007, it joined VMware's Service Provider Program, allowing it to provide managed hosting on virtual as well as physical servers. It was also recognized by Microsoft as a Gold Certified Partner, with capabilities involving Microsoft SharePoint application development and hosting. The company was acquired by Savvis, Inc. in 2010. Savvis announced a definitive agreement on June 1, 2010, for an all-cash transaction valued at approximately US$124.5 million, subject to working-capital adjustments. The acquisition closed on June 16, 2010. Following the transaction, Fusepoint ceased to operate as an independent privately held company and became part of Savvis's broader managed hosting and data-centre services business. The Fusepoint brand is therefore treated as defunct as an independent brand, although its capabilities and customer operations were absorbed into the acquiring company.

Fusepoint Managed Services was established in Canada in 1999 under the name RoundHeaven Communications. It developed as a managed IT and hosting provider at a time when businesses were increasingly outsourcing data-centre operations, application hosting, network protection, and business-continuity functions. Rather than selling only conventional connectivity or standalone hardware, Fusepoint built its proposition around operating technology infrastructure for customers and helping them maintain dependable access to business-critical systems. The company expanded its capabilities through a combination of internal growth, investment, and acquisitions. M/C Venture Partners invested US$20 million in Fusepoint in July 2001 and an additional US$10 million in 2004. In October 2004, Fusepoint acquired Versus, a Montreal-based outsourcing company. In March 2005, it acquired Worldwide Online, a Toronto hosting and professional-services firm. These transactions strengthened Fusepoint's geographic reach and broadened its hosting, outsourcing, and professional-services capabilities. Fusepoint operated offices and data centres in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City, giving it a significant Canadian operating footprint while serving customers throughout North America. Its services included infrastructure hosting, disaster recovery, firewall security, and managed hosting for mission-critical applications and data. The company supported physical server environments and later added virtualized infrastructure. Its customer base included large enterprises as well as small and medium-sized businesses seeking outsourced technology operations. Security, compliance, and technology partnerships were important elements of Fusepoint's enterprise offering. In November 2007, the company announced that it had achieved Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard compliance. Visa recognized Fusepoint as a Tier 1 PCI-certified service provider, a designation relevant to organizations handling payment-card information. In December 2007, Fusepoint joined VMware's Service Provider Program and began offering managed hosting on both physical and virtual servers. The company was also recognized by Microsoft as a Gold Certified Partner and offered Microsoft SharePoint application development and hosting capabilities. The business experienced rapid expansion. Reference material states that Fusepoint grew by more than 1,400 percent over five years. PROFIT magazine ranked it 46th in its 2008 list of Canada's 100 fastest-growing companies, while the Branham Group ranked it as the 83rd-largest technology company. Fusepoint also conducted Canadian polls relating to identity theft, business continuity, and disaster recovery, supporting its public profile as a specialist in IT resilience and security issues. In 2010, Fusepoint's independent ownership ended. Savvis announced on June 1 that it had signed a definitive agreement to purchase the company for approximately US$124.5 million in cash, with the final consideration subject to working-capital adjustments. The transaction closed on June 16, 2010. Fusepoint subsequently became part of Savvis's managed hosting and data-centre services operations. Because the company no longer operated as an independent brand after the transaction, Fusepoint Managed Services is best documented as a defunct standalone Canadian managed-services company whose assets and capabilities were absorbed by its acquirer.

• 2010

  Savvis announces acquisition

  [1]Fusepoint Managed Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Savvis announced an agreement to acquire Fusepoint for approximately US$124.5 million in cash, subject to working-capital adjustments.

• 2010

  Acquisition completed

  [1]Fusepoint Managed Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Savvis completed its acquisition of Fusepoint on June 16, 2010.

• 2008

  Recognition among Canada's fastest-growing companies

  [1]Fusepoint Managed Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  PROFIT magazine ranked Fusepoint 46th among Canada's 100 fastest-growing companies.

• 2007

  PCI DSS compliance announced

  [1]Fusepoint Managed Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Fusepoint announced PCI DSS compliance and was recognized by Visa as a Tier 1 PCI-certified service provider.

• 2007

  VMware Service Provider Program participation

  [1]Fusepoint Managed Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Fusepoint joined VMware's Service Provider Program and added virtual-server managed hosting to its physical hosting services.

• 2005

  Acquisition of Worldwide Online

  [1]Fusepoint Managed Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Fusepoint acquired Toronto-based Worldwide Online, a hosting and professional-services company.

• 2004

  M/C Venture Partners provides additional funding

  [1]Fusepoint Managed Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  M/C Venture Partners invested a further US$10 million in the company.

• 2004

  Acquisition of Versus

  [1]Fusepoint Managed Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Fusepoint acquired Versus, a Montreal-based outsourcing firm, expanding its managed-services capabilities.

• 2001

  M/C Venture Partners makes initial investment

  [1]Fusepoint Managed Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  M/C Venture Partners invested US$20 million in Fusepoint in July 2001.

• 1999

  Company founded as RoundHeaven Communications

  [1]Fusepoint Managed Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  The business that became Fusepoint Managed Services was founded in Canada under the name RoundHeaven Communications.

A Canadian enterprise managed service provider positioned around secure hosting, application availability, disaster recovery, regulatory-oriented controls, and outsourced operation of mission-critical IT infrastructure.

• Managed hosting

  Infrastructure hosting

  Fusepoint hosted customer infrastructure and mission-critical applications in its Canadian data-centre environment. The service was designed to provide managed operation and dependable access while shifting infrastructure administration, facilities management, and selected operational responsibilities from customers to the service provider.

• Resilience services

  Disaster recovery and business continuity

  Fusepoint provided disaster-recovery-related services intended to help customers protect data and maintain or restore access to important applications after an infrastructure failure or other disruptive event. Business continuity was a recurring theme in the company's services and Canadian research activities.

• Security services

  Managed firewall security

  Managed firewall and related security services formed part of Fusepoint's effort to protect hosted environments and customer access to business systems. The offering complemented its infrastructure-hosting and disaster-recovery services by addressing perimeter protection and operational security requirements.

• Virtualized infrastructure · 2007

  VMware managed hosting

  After joining VMware's Service Provider Program in 2007, Fusepoint offered managed hosting on virtual servers in addition to physical servers. The capability allowed the company to support virtualized infrastructure for large enterprises and small to medium-sized businesses within its outsourced hosting model.

• Application services

  Microsoft SharePoint application development and hosting

  As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Fusepoint offered capabilities involving Microsoft SharePoint application development and hosting. This extended the company's role beyond data-centre infrastructure into managed application environments and collaboration-platform services.

• 2010

  Agree to sale to SavvisM&A

  Background

  Fusepoint had built a Canadian managed-hosting and outsourcing platform through organic growth, venture investment, and acquisitions.

  Action taken

  Fusepoint entered into an agreement to be acquired by Savvis for approximately US$124.5 million in cash, subject to working-capital adjustments. The transaction closed on June 16, 2010.

  Aftermath

  Fusepoint ceased to operate as an independent privately held company and became part of Savvis's managed hosting and data-centre business.

  Acquisition consideration. Approximately US$124.5 million in cash (Announced June 1, 2010; completed June 16, 2010)

  Source

• 2007

  Add virtualized managed hostingStrategy

  Background

  Fusepoint was expanding its managed hosting proposition for enterprises and small to medium-sized businesses, while virtualization was becoming an important infrastructure-delivery model.

  Action taken

  The company joined VMware's Service Provider Program and began offering managed hosting on both physical and virtual servers.

  Aftermath

  The move broadened Fusepoint's infrastructure portfolio and reinforced its position as a managed hosting provider. The available reference material does not quantify its commercial impact.

  Source

1. 1Fusepoint Managed Servicesen.wikipedia.org