Cleveland, Ohio-based LDI Corp, regarded by the cognoscenti of the computer leasing world as a company to watch, has taken a major step to expand its data processing disaster recovery services in Cleveland and Detroit by acquiring the remaining interest in its LDI Disaster Recovery Corp affiliate in Solon, Ohio, and has reaching agreement in principle to acquire the operating assets of the Corporate Contingency Services unit, based near Detroit, of Diversified Technologies Inc, itself a subsidiary of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan. LDI paid 175,200 of its shares, worth $2.3m, for the outstanding 93% of the shares of LDI Disaster. The moves to expand its disaster recovery operations moves LDI up the league behind the Big Two in the business, specialist Sungard Data Services, and number one leaser, Comdisco Inc. The one big cloud on the horizon is a widespread expectation that IBM will move into disaster recovery itself. Other recent steps in LDI’s expansion include an acquisition extending equipment and customer service operations into Detroit and Chicago, and the opening of new offices in Atlanta; Dallas; Stamford, Connnecticut; and Lakeland, Florida. LDI handles mainframe and mid-range central processing equipment, peripherals, personal computers and telecommunications equipment. It is also active in the market for used computer and telecommunications equipment.
