North State Communications buys Stalwart, furthers cloud, security services push

North State Communications, a mainly rural service provider, is acquiring IT security integrator Stalwart to advance its movement into the cloud and managed services space.

The companies did not disclose the terms of the agreement.

When combined with North State's 2011 acquisition of DataChambers, the addition of Stalwart's consulting and engineering capabilities will enable North State to help the business customers network security concerns as they migrate to the cloud.

This acquisition also illustrates that cloud-based services are not just important for businesses in big cities, but also in smaller towns and cities.

Royster Tucker III, CEO of North State Communications, said in a release that the acquisition helps it address new cloud service revenue opportunities while addressing emerging "IT challenges facing businesses today."

Stalwart, which is based in Charlotte, N.C., has operations in a number of the same and adjacent markets that North State and DataChambers has. It will also complement the data centers DataChambers in the Charlotte, Raleigh and Triad markets.

After meeting customary closing conditions, North State said it expects the acquisition to close in the third quarter of 2015.

Upon completion of the deal, Stalwart will become a subsidiary of North State and will continue to be led by current CEO Bill Cooper.

For more:
- see the release

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North State Communications acquires DataChambers to shore up data center, managed services capabilities