All Your ISM Merger Questions (Yes, ALL of Them!) Answered in This Post

 

Whether you’re a long-standing ISM client, one of our valued partners, or you’re just fascinated by all things ISM, you’ll be interested in this news: ISM has merged with SWK Technologies, Inc. as of June 1, 2018. BJ, Carla, Jennifer, and the rest of the ISM team are really excited about this new chapter for ISM, and we’re sure you’ll be too.

First things first: Rest assured. Everyone you know and love at ISM will still be here, and we’ll still be in the similar roles. You’ll get the same, high-quality service you’ve come to expect with ISM… you simply have even more options now!

Now that we’ve got that covered, check out the rest of the ISM merger details in today’s post.

Got questions about the ISM merger that you want answers to right now? We’re here for you. Contact ISM online or call us up at (503) 496-5350. Feel free to call your account manager too; we’re all still right here!

THE BASICS

What’s Happening?

SWK-ISM-Joint-LogoISM is merging with SWK Technologies, Inc., which is one of the leading resellers for Sage 100cloud, Sage 500, and Sage Enterprise Management (AKA Sage X3). SWK also sells Acumatica and NetSuite, and they’re the team behind many of today’s “go to” solutions that enhance all these products. Know MAPADOC? They’re the ones that invented it. You can learn more about SWK on their website: www.swktech.com.

When Will the Merger Happen?

The official merger date is June 1, 2018. As of that point, ISM will officially be known as SWK Technologies, Inc. That means that when you call us up after that date, we’ll say you’ve reached SWK Technologies. (Don’t worry though, it’s still us on the phone.)

Will the Merger Change Anything?

There will be a few changes, such as our email addresses (which will soon be SWK emails), the way we answer the phone (“Thanks for calling SWK Technologies!”), and the range of services you have access to (a LOT more). Aside from that, you won’t experience much difference because you’ll still work with the same ISM people as always, and you’ll still get the same, awesome service you’re used to.

Most importantly:

  • You will continue to work with the same people in our firm you have in the past. All of our people are being retained in their current roles.
  • Our fee structure will not change.
  • The services we have provided you in the past will continue to be offered by the combined firm. 
  • Our phone number and support options remain the same.
  • Our locations and offices remain the same.

ALL THE DETAILS YOU WEREN’T GOING TO ASK ABOUT… BUT WE ANSWERED ANYWAY

Not sure if you’ve noticed this about us, but we really like answering your questions. Therefore, here’s some more answers for you, about things we know you’re curious about.

Why Did the Merger Happen?

Honestly, we figure this is the best option for you, our customers, as well as for our team. You may have noticed that ISM has grown considerably in the past few years… but it’s been a real challenge to find and retain excellent people in our part of the country. We refuse to take shortcuts on the service we offer to you – which means we’ve been working longer and longer hours to keep up. This merger gives us access to a larger team, so we can stop spreading ourselves so thin and refocus on what really matters to us: your business success.

What Was the Merger Worth?

We know, you weren’t going to ask… but you wondered. Heck, we’d wonder too if we were you! The purchase price for ISM is $1.7 million, including $300,000 cash and a $1.4 million convertible note.

What’s Next?

As we merge into SWK Technologies, BJ will start serving as SWK’s new CTO (Chief Technology Officer), and Carla will move into her role as Vice President of Partners and Alliances. Everyone else you know from the ISM team will start learning about the wide array of products and services that SWK brings to the merger, so we’ll be able to provide even more solutions than ever before.

IN CLOSING…

Since 2001, ISM has worked hard to deliver on our motto: “Simple answers to difficult questions.” As business owners and leaders ourselves, we fully understand what it takes for you to keep your operations running smoothly and productively, day after day – year after year.

Over the past 17 years, we’ve worked hard to deliver the answers you need by retaining experienced professionals at the tops of their fields, as well as developing and delivering the custom solutions you’ve requested. We’ve also stuck true to our belief that our clients (yes, you!) deserve an honest, reliable, and responsible long-term relationship with your business software expert. One in which you can ask difficult questions and get simple, real answers.

Over the years, we’ve been glad to see that our approach works. We’ve been proud to watch our clients increase their business success (while saving enough time to also follow their personal passions), and we’ve been honored to work with incredible partners who offer outstanding, innovative products.

That’s why we’re so excited about this new chapter we’re entering with SWK Technologies, Inc. Not only do we look forward to enriching our offerings even further by putting our heads together with the SWK team’s deep expertise and knowledge, we also enjoy the fact that, with SWK, we’ll be empowered to offer a wider range of solutions that will help your business achieve even more success.

It’s an exciting future ahead of us.

And, we gotta admit, we’re pretty darn thrilled.

 

Got questions? As always, we’re here with answers for you. Feel free to contact ISM online or call us at (503) 496-5350 to learn more about the ISM merger (or to ask about whatever else is on your mind). You can also find the press release here.