Like many companies around the world, global professional services company Accenture has struggled during this time, recently announcing that it might have to lay off 5%—or around 25,000—of its global workforce due to the business impact of the pandemic.
The company, however, has remained focused on the future. It recently made a strategic investment in InCountry, a data residency-as-a-service platform provider that allows enterprises and software-as-a-service companies to ensure their company and customer data is used in compliance with the data residency regulations of more than 90 countries.
Additionally, Accenture recently announced that it would be making a $3 billion investment over three years in Accenture Cloud First, a new multi-service group of 70,000 cloud professionals that will help clients become “cloud first” businesses and accelerate their digital transformation.
Now it has been revealed that the company has also agreed to acquire N3, a tech-driven sales and demand-generation firm, for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2004, Atlanta-based N3 uses a model of specialized sales talent—across areas like cloud, software platforms, and 5G networks—supported by cloud-based, AI/ML technology that results in more efficient customer interactions and sales conversions. The company’s clients include Microsoft, Cisco, and SAP, and it has additional locations in Brazil, Costa Rica, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and the U.K.
“Increasingly, B2B buyers expect the same ‘Amazon-like’ interactions they experience as consumers when purchasing far more complex services—a trend that’s only accelerated in the current pandemic,” Manish Sharma, Group Chief Executive of Accenture Operations, said in a statement. “N3 provides the perfect combination of skilled talent and technology to remove barriers and better influence purchasing decisions at critical stages.”
The combination of both companies’ capabilities could help clients aggregate millions of interaction points to drive sales growth. The acquisition will also add approximately 2,200 employees to Accenture globally.
