DataMirror Corp, Canadian mid-range systems data replication specialist, has acquired German software distributor MPC Software GmbH for $4m Canadian ($2.6m) in cash. MPC, described by DataMirror as a channel purchase, has significant experience in the area of high systems availability, system integration and data replication. The acquisition is intended to strengthen the company’s direct sales and technical support presence in the mid- European market. Chief financial officer Ronald Peters said the deal was a double win, as MPC had previously been handling a competitor’s software. DataMirror is also poised to benefit from MPC’s ties to major vendors such as IBM Corp and SAP AG. Although he wouldn’t comment on the German company’s revenues, Peters did say that DataMirror’s stated rule of thumb was not to pay more than one-times annual revenue for channel purchases. MPC will be merged with existing DataMirror Germany personnel and its current management structure will remain in place. DataMirror also has subsidiaries in the UK, France, Sweden, and Belgium and says the merger brings the full complement of its European operations to 65 employees. The company said it will continue to evaluate more channel purchases – which it described as the quickest way to grow its business – in the European market. Elsewhere it is served adequately by distributors and VARs, according to Peters.
