By Rachel Chalmers
Web hosting giant Exodus Communications Inc has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Tokyo’s Global OnLine Japan Co Ltd (GOL) for an undisclosed sum. GOL’s 75 employees join the 1,400 people who already work for Exodus. The company was founded by Roger Boisvert, a Canadian by birth who has worked in Japan for 20 years or more. In part because of his influence, GOL enjoys a mixed culture and is bilingual. Customers for its web hosting, internet access and professional services include NEC, Japan Railways, the Japan Development Bank and the American Chamber of Commerce.
Joe Stockwell, senior VP of business development for Exodus, admits that like rival Digital Island Inc, his company is scrambling to establish a global presence through acquisition. This market is so huge and such a tremendous opportunity that there is a bit of a land grab going on, he said. Will Exodus continue on the acquisition trail? We haven’t done a ton of acquisitions, Stockwell says. Our growth has been primarily organic. But we will continue to be on the lookout.
GOL gives Exodus a beachhead in the Japanese market. The company values Japan, partly because multinationals favor Tokyo as a regional headquarters, but also because Japan itself is becoming a hotbed for net-based start-ups. Stockwell says Exodus considered building a business in Tokyo itself, but that GOL presented itself as an excellent fit. What we saw in Global OnLine primarily was a skilled management team and an engineering team we though was first-rate, he told ComputerWire.
How will he keep that team? By giving them excellent work. No, seriously? I am serious! he protests. We are in one of the most dynamic and exciting areas of the internet. We cater for all sorts of internet companies, and we’re doing some incredibly cutting-edge stuff. The money won’t hurt either, he concedes: They’ll also see the value of their interests grow as they get options.
