Cello buys GKC Consulting to boost digital resilience

Cello Group has acquired GKC Consulting, adding observability and digital resilience capabilities to its enterprise networking business.

Commercial terms were not disclosed. Existing customer commitments will remain the immediate priority as the two businesses begin working more closely together.

The acquisition combines Cello's network operations work with GKC Consulting's observability and data expertise. It reflects growing overlap between connectivity, security, visibility and resilience as organisations run more distributed technology estates.

Observability tools help technology teams track what is happening across applications, infrastructure and customer-facing services. Linked with network operations, that information can help teams determine whether faults sit in the network, an application, a platform or the interaction between them.

The issue has become more prominent as organisations adopt cloud services and artificial intelligence while managing distributed applications and hybrid working arrangements. Those shifts add dependencies that can make performance and availability problems harder to isolate.

The combined operation is intended to shorten the path from incident detection to root-cause analysis, resolution and remediation. It also aims to help customers understand the wider impact of a problem and reduce the risk of repeat incidents.

Growing overlap

Customers increasingly want suppliers that can move from identifying a problem to helping address it, rather than offering insight alone. In that context, the acquisition extends Cello's reach across enterprise networking, observability and digital resilience for enterprise, corporate and government customers.

Founded by Glen Patrick, GKC Consulting has built its business around specialist observability work, practical delivery and customer relationships. Those strengths will remain central as the business becomes part of the group.

Managing Director Andrew Allan set out the rationale for the transaction.

"Connectivity, security, visibility and resilience are increasingly part of the same conversation, but are often delivered by multiple parties. Bringing GKC Consulting into the fold means customers can engage with a single provider across these needs.

"The combination of our two organisations gives us an opportunity to close the gap between knowing and doing.

"GKC Consulting brings deep observability and data expertise, while Cello contributes specialist network operations. Together, that can reduce the time between an incident, root-cause identification, resolution and remediation.

"We're excited to bring these capabilities together and strengthen the support we can provide around the critical environments our customers rely on.

"Continuity is our first priority as we bring the teams together. Looking ahead, we see scope to develop propositions that help customers manage change with greater confidence," Allan said.

The transaction also adds to consolidation in parts of the technology services market, where customers are dealing with more fragmented systems and a wider mix of suppliers. Networking, monitoring and resilience have often been bought separately, but providers are seeking broader offerings as clients look for fewer handovers during incidents.

For Cello, the purchase strengthens its New Zealand-owned position in enterprise services at a time when reliability and responsiveness remain key buying factors for large organisations. For GKC Consulting, the deal provides access to a wider set of services while preserving its specialist focus.

Customer focus

Chief Executive Officer and Founder Glen Patrick said customer work would remain central under the new ownership structure. He also pointed to overlap between the client bases served by the two businesses.

"GKC Consulting has been built around specialist expertise, practical delivery and strong customer relationships. Those things remain central to the business.

"Cello is a strong fit because it is New Zealand-owned, customer-focused and works with many of the same types of enterprise, corporate and government organisations.

"Becoming part of Cello gives GKC Consulting access to a broader range of capabilities while allowing us to continue focusing on the specialist work our customers value.

"We help organisations understand what is happening across their technology environments and customer experiences. Combined with Cello's services, that gives us an opportunity to provide an all-encompassing proposition," Patrick said.

Both businesses said they share a service-led approach and operate in environments where reliability, responsiveness and access to experienced staff matter. Commercial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.