TA Associates Takes Over CoSentry

TA Associates, a private equity firm, has recently acquired CoSentry (News - Alert), an Omaha-based provider of outsourced IT infrastructure services.

Previous to the acquisition, TA teamed up with CoSentry management to acquire the company. The selling shareholders include McCarthy Capital, an Omaha-based private equity fund, and WaittCorp Investments, an Omaha-based investment company.

Harry D. Taylor, a principal at TA Associates who will join CoSentry's Board of Directors said that, as a profitable and rapidly growing technology company with a seasoned management team, CoSentry is precisely the type of business in which TA seeks to invest.

“CoSentry has been repeatedly recognized as one of the country's fastest growing Internet infrastructure businesses. We will work closely with management to continue that growth and help realize CoSentry's full potential,” Taylor added.

For years, CoSentry has been offering business continuity and resiliency services, supporting complex IT solutions for enterprise clients. The company also offers data center services (colocation, hosting, managed Internet access), managed services (24/7 help desk, network monitoring, compliance), cloud computing (virtual servers, disk backup, storage), security and disaster recovery.

The company has even earned multiple technical and regulatory certifications, helping its clients meet security and compliance requirements. CoSentry has facilities in Nebraska, Missouri and South Dakota.

Michael Steffan, president and CEO of CoSentry said this partnership is validation of the soundness of their business model and prospects for continued success and with their financial support, experience investing in technology companies, strategic guidance and significant network of contacts, they anticipate a fruitful and mutually beneficial relationship with TA.

Founded in 1968, TA Associates is one of the largest and most experienced middle-market growth private equity firms. The company’s had previously invested in the telecommunications and software sectors such as AboveNet, IntraLinks, McAfee, MetroPCS Communications, NetScout Systems, Network Appliance (News - Alert), Sophos Plc and WIND Telecom S.p.A.

In other news, TA Associates recently made a significant investment in Aicent, Inc., a provider of data network, messaging and roaming solutions to telecom network operators worldwide.