Like Stu said, we needed to do this. Three big reasons: a) access to capital and resources, b) technology and c) new markets.
Running Sunbelt was like holding a tiger by the tail -- the growth was phenomenal, but the stress on the business is sometimes very intense. Remember a few months back when our support went to hell because our antiquated phone system couldn't handle the load? That was all related to not enough investment in our the right phone system. Little things like this cause constant headaches. I needed the find a partner with deep pockets -- and GFI has very deep pockets. I could have gone with a venture capitalist, but there is a whole lot of other risk that comes with that... And the first thing they did coming in here was start the process of buying a new phone system. I like that. On the technology side, you don't sit still in this business and last long. VIPRE is top of class, but there is a lot to be done, still. I need better integration with MSP platforms, DLP technology, integrated patch and vulnerability assessment -- and much more. GFI already has a lot of these technologies. Another example is our mail strategy. Many people are moving to a SaaS model for email security. I was being left out of the party, but now GFI has their own SaaS platform. Their access to new markets is also a major part of the transaction. 95% of our sales were in North America. That's not sustainable, as we needed to move into international markets to sustain and grow the business. Over 50% of GFI's sales are international, and that's a big pickup for us. Finally, the issue of culture: GFI's culture is very similar to ours. While they have certainly had their issues in the past, the current CEO, Walter Scott, has the same attitudes that I have about customer support, product quality and taking care of the customer. I have been very impressed with how they run this business (and it's certainly a world different than what it was 2 years ago, before Scott and the new management team came in). For our employees, it's a good thing. Out of 240 employees, there were only a handful of redundant positions (less than 10). The vast majority of employees are here and continuing with the new organization. The Tampa Bay location is going to be growing into an even larger operation. Stu is retiring, but as he'll tell you, he had already moved on prior to the acquisition to focusing on writing his newsletters and had turned the majority of his tasks over. This gives him the opportunity to focus on what he really enjoys -- writing and interacting with fellow admins. He now gets to write full time and will still happily kill any thread he doesn't like on the forum. He's happy, I can tell you :-) We had a number of suitors but chose GFI because we felt they would respect the technology, our support and our culture. And all of the key Sunbelt executives are still here, myself included. I am running the security business for GFI. I expect things will get better, not worse. Alex Alex Eckelberry, CEO Sunbelt Software, a GFI company 33 N. Garden Avenue, Clearwater, FL 33755 p: 727-562-0101 x220 e: a...@sunbeltsoftware.com<mailto:a...@sunbeltsoftware.com> MSN: alex...@hotmail.com<mailto:alex...@hotmail.com> Skype: alexeckelberry oovoo: alexeck w: www.sunbeltsoftware.com<http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/> b: www.sunbeltblog.com<http://www.sunbeltblog.com/> From: Cameron Cooper [mailto:ccoo...@aurico.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 12:07 PM To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues Subject: RE: Letter from Sunbelt CEO: GFI Acquires Sunbelt Software That too _____________________________ Cameron Cooper Network Administrator | CompTIA A+ Certified Aurico Reports, Inc Phone: 847-890-4021 | Fax: 847-255-1896 ccoo...@aurico.com<mailto:ccoo...@aurico.com> | www.aurico.com From: David Mazzaccaro [mailto:david.mazzacc...@hudsonhhc.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 11:00 AM To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues Subject: RE: Letter from Sunbelt CEO: GFI Acquires Sunbelt Software [cid:image001.jpg@01CB236D.5455AEE0] Guess so! LOL -----Original Message----- From: Cameron Cooper [mailto:ccoo...@aurico.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 9:59 AM To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues Subject: RE: Letter from Sunbelt CEO: GFI Acquires Sunbelt Software Oops... should have read *Let's hope Sunbelt's products/support don't end up worse* Need. More. Coffe. _____________________________ Cameron Cooper Network Administrator | CompTIA A+ Certified Aurico Reports, Inc Phone: 847-890-4021 | Fax: 847-255-1896 ccoo...@aurico.com | www.aurico.com -----Original Message----- From: Cameron Cooper [mailto:ccoo...@aurico.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 8:55 AM To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues Subject: RE: Letter from Sunbelt CEO: GFI Acquires Sunbelt Software Let's hope Sunbelt's products/support end up worse due to this. Could this become another Symancrap scenario? _____________________________ Cameron Cooper Network Administrator | CompTIA A+ Certified Aurico Reports, Inc Phone: 847-890-4021 | Fax: 847-255-1896 ccoo...@aurico.com | www.aurico.com -----Original Message----- From: John Cook [mailto:john.c...@pfsf.org] Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 8:05 AM To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues Subject: RE: Letter from Sunbelt CEO: GFI Acquires Sunbelt Software To be quite honest my heart sank when I read the message this AM. Having several installations of their products and doing some selling of it as well I am pretty nervous about the possibilities, I've never experienced a buyout that was a totally positive experience for the end users. I hope and pray GFI has the sense to leave well enough alone...... John W. Cook Systems Administrator Partnership For Strong Families 315 SE 2nd Ave Gainesville, Fl 32601 Office (352) 393-2741 x320 Cell (352) 215-6944 Fax (352) 393-2746 MCSE, MCTS, MCP+I, A+, N+, VSP4, VTSP4 -----Original Message----- From: Michael B. Smith [mailto:mich...@smithcons.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 8:02 AM To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues Subject: RE: Letter from Sunbelt CEO: GFI Acquires Sunbelt Software Well, I wish them the best; but can't help but feel "that's too bad". It'll be interesting to see how the competing product lines shake out. Regards, Michael B. Smith Consultant and Exchange MVP http://TheEssentialExchange.com -----Original Message----- From: Webster [mailto:webs...@carlwebster.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 7:26 AM To: MS-Exchange Admin Issues Subject: FW: Letter from Sunbelt CEO: GFI Acquires Sunbelt Software > Today, it was announced that Sunbelt Software has been acquired by GFI > Software. The new combined entity will provide a wide range of > security and > infrastructure software solutions, both on-premise and in the cloud. > View the press release here: > http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Press/Releases/?id=362 > > This Wednesday, July 14th, GFI's CEO, Walter Scott and I will be > holding a webinar to discuss the transaction, which we invite you to > attend. The details > of the webinar are as follows: > > CEO webinar for Partners: GFI's new acquisition > Date: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 > Time: 11:30am Eastern Time > Register here to attend > https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/294875025 > > First, let me say that we're thrilled to be part of the GFI team. Throughout > our discussions and interactions with GFI, we have been continually > impressed with their dedication to quality, customer service and > superior performance throughout the company. Both companies are > similar in their attitudes and practices with regard to customer > service, product quality, strategic vision, organizational styles and culture. > > On the technology side, the acquisition allows us to expand into > several areas, which we believe are essential for us to grow as a > company and continue to provide leading-edge technologies to our > partners. These areas include vulnerability assessment, patch > management, data leakage prevention, hosted/cloud-based technologies, and MSP solutions. > > No specific plans have been made yet in terms of product integration > strategies, but we are working with the GFI team to identify areas > where their technologies would complement our offerings. > > In addition to the technology side, GFI provides additional resources > in terms > of capital, management expertise, systems and new markets that will > continue to propel our products and our teams to the highest level of > achievement possible. > > For the time being, both companies are hard at work, integrating the various > sales, marketing, finance, and technology teams. Our goal is to make > the combination of the companies as seamless as possible to you, and > we will continue to provide you with updates and information as we > work to combine the organizations. For now, nothing changes in how you > do business with Sunbelt. > > We appreciate your trust in us as a partner and will continue to work > hard to > keep your loyalty and support. Please don't hesitate to reach out to > your Sunbelt representative or me personally if you have any questions > or comments. > > Kind regards, > > Alex Eckelberry > CEO CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT: The information transmitted, or contained or attached to or with this Notice is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain Protected Health Information (PHI), confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, transmission, dissemination, or other use of, and taking any action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient without the express written consent of the sender are prohibited. This information may be protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and other Federal and Florida laws. Improper or unauthorized use or disclosure of this information could result in civil and/or criminal penalties. Consider the environment. Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to. .
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