Tusker buys Fortress SRM, adding 50 staff and a sixth hub in Cleveland
What's the deal? TuskerDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Chicago-based technology solutions provider, has acquired Fortress SRMDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Cleveland cybersecurity firm, adding nearly 50 professionals and new security capabilities. Terms were not disclosed.
What's the endgame? Fortress SRM, founded in 2018, brings security consulting, virtual CISO leadership, managed security, incident response, digital forensics, and a 24/7 Security Operations Center for round-the-clock threat detection. The deal advances Tusker's push to expand its services business.
Why now? It is Tusker's fifth acquisition since 2017 and its first since unifying its portfolio companies under one brand this year. The company says more deals are planned.
The map: The acquisition adds a sixth regional hub in Cleveland, joining Chicago, Boston, Green Bay, Duluth, and Eau Claire. Fortress SRM serves customers across Ohio, northern Michigan, and Wisconsin, giving Tusker a foothold in the Ohio Valley.
Tusker has grown from a Chicago IT hardware distributor into a full-stack provider with more than 400 employees.
What they said: "This acquisition expands our cybersecurity team and related service capabilities, plants a flag for Tusker in the Ohio Valley, and strengthens our ability to be a trusted technology partner across the customer's entire IT environment," said Matt Zafirovski, chief executive officer of Tusker.
Fortress SRM president Jess Walpole said many clients "want a trusted partner who can support all of their IT needs," from desktops and servers to modernization and managed services.
The signal: Mid-market IT providers are bolting on cybersecurity specialists to become one-stop technology partners, betting that customers prefer consolidated, high-touch service over piecing together separate vendors.
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
