IBM has signed an agreement to acquire SKYARCH NETWORKS INC. (“SKYARCH NETWORKS”), a Japan-based professional services company specializing in Amazon Web Services (AWS). The planned acquisition will extend IBM Consulting’s ability to support clients in this key market on their end-to-end cloud transformation journeys, and it reinforces our commitment to strategic partners, like AWS.

Since SKYARCH NETWORKS was founded in 2001, it has grown into a leader for AWS-focused cloud development and managed service offerings in Japan. An AWS Advanced Tier Partner, SKYARCH NETWORKS brings a talented team of AWS specialists with expertise across infrastructure design, development, operation monitoring, in-house production support and maintenance across industries. SKYARCH NETWORKS’ strong platform engineering services will help enhance IBM Consulting’s hybrid cloud service offerings.

A hybrid cloud infrastructure is essential to helping organizations unlock the full value of their data and scale generative AI across the enterprise. As demand for generative AI grows, so too will the cloud market. In fact, IDC expects the Japanese cloud market will grow by 17.9% CAGR[1] between 2022 to 2027. IBM has committed to training and skilling 10,000 consultants globally on AWS generative AI services by the end of 2024. SKYARCH NETWORKS will position IBM Consulting to address the growing demand for end-to-end cloud services expertise in the region.

The acquisition exemplifies our commitment to an open ecosystem approach, working across technology partners to deliver value for clients based on their needs. Our research shows open innovation is a business imperative: 84 percent of executives stated open innovation is important for the growth of their business, and the rate of revenue growth for open innovation leaders is 59% higher than that for other companies, according to the IBM Institute for Business Value[2].

Today’s news marks IBM’s fifth acquisition announced in 2024. Since Arvind Krishna became CEO in April 2020, IBM has acquired more than 40 companies, with this planned acquisition marking the 18^th for IBM Consulting, bolstering our hybrid cloud and AI capabilities.

The acquisition is expected to close in June 2024, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

To learn more about SKYARCH NETWORKS, visit: https://www.skyarch.net/en/