Cognizant has deepened its ServiceNow capabilities by announcing the acquisition of Thirdera, an Elite ServiceNow Partner. As a major part of that acquisition, Cognizant takes on Thirdera University. This is one of the largest training resources around ServiceNow and will help the company meet the growing demand for ServiceNow capabilities.
Thirdera itself is one of the largest ServiceNow consultancies, and developed a presence in Australia in 2021, when it acquired local ServiceNow partner and providers, Service Line Solutions (SLS). That acquisition established a Thirdera presence in Sydney, Melbourne, and Bengaluru, India, providing the foundation for APAC regional growth.
The company then added a presence in Aotearoa New Zealand in May of 2023.
Cognizant continues trend of ServiceNow investment
Cognizant’s acquisition comes on the back of some major investment into ServiceNow. Earlier in the year, Cognizant announced an agreement with ServiceNow to integrate its platforms, including the AI-led Cognizant Neuro suite, into ServiceNow’s platform in a bid to build a combined $1 billion business.
After adding the Thirdera organisation to its own business, Cognizant will have a delivery team of more than 2,400 specialists worldwide, holding 14,000 certifications between them.
“This is a pivotal moment for redefining customer engagement and operational efficiency,” Thirdera CEO and Co-Founder Jason Wojahn said in a statement. “We believe leveraging Cognizant’s scale, resources, and cross-industry expertise will help us revolutionise how our clients work to unleash productivity and drive innovation.”
“We aim to transform the fabric of our clients’ work environments,” he added, “creating substantial value and offering our employees significant opportunities for professional growth and learning.”
Acquisitions likely to continue in 2024
This news caps off a year of significant consolidation in the IT channel across the APAC region, particularly around services and consulting practices.
Moving into 2024, there will likely be further acquisitions, as customers are looking for end-to-end solutions and organisations of a scale to deliver those.
Boutique and specialist partners will likely find themselves with prime acquisition opportunities if they can help fill gaps for larger companies, particularly if those gaps are around skills and deep solution capabilities.