Latin America. Westcon Group, a value-added distributor of unified communications, network infrastructure, security and data center solutions, which has a global network of specialist distributors, announced the acquisition of the Afina Group through the acquisition of GLS Software and its subsidiaries. The negotiation will immediately expand Westcon's presence in the Latin American, Iberian and North African markets.
Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Madrid and Miami, Afina conducts business throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Iberia, France and Morocco. Focused on the distribution of data center and security solutions, Afina's vendor portfolio includes VMware, Citrix, Riverbed and Symantec, as well as many companies currently in Westcon's portfolio in other regions. Grupo Afina also offers specialized services to support its distributors, including: after-sales support, value-added services and training.
With this acquisition, Westcon expands its presence in Latin America, Iberia and North Africa, and adds an increased focus on customer services. In addition to bringing greater consistency to Westcon's portfolio, the agreement will add strategic vendors such as Citrix, Symantec and VMware to the company's portfolio.
"The Latin American market is now entering a very robust period of IT spending driven primarily by Brazil and Mexico. Analysts estimate that the region will generate more than $320 billion in IT consumption in 2012," said Dean Douglas, president and CEO of Westcon Group. "With the acquisition of Afina, Westcon is very well positioned to capture this momentum, driving market leadership at the local level and expanding our portfolio of security and data center products."
"When Afina was launched, the goal was to become the main distributor in the Latin American and Iberian markets, offering the most complete solutions and services in security and infrastructure," said Pedro Galatas, CEO of the Afina Group, who also added that "Westcon has proven time and again its reputation as a distributor with unparalleled market experience and global reach. Acquisition is the right option at the right time for the company and partners. An agreement that will significantly boost our next stage of growth."
