Big IT Is Getting Bigger, and Customers Are Paying The Price 

What you’ll learn:

• Why and how IT is becoming monopolised.
• Why the consolidation of IT companies is bad for the customer.
• How to spot service decline in IT.
• Why independence is important and how you benefit from working with an independent IT reseller.

The IT channel is getting quieter. Not because the work has slowed, but because more of the logos now sit on the same corporate websites. 

Nearly all of the largest resellers in the UK have undertaken Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) over the past two years. 

Have you ever received an email from your technology partner saying something like: “Exciting news! We’re merging”? Did you find that shortly after, the familiar faces were replaced, pricing began to climb ahead of inflation, and sourcing a genuine like-for-like replacement became increasingly difficult? 

Well, you’re not alone. This is increasing in frequency, costing customers more and shifting control away from smaller organisations. It’s the consolidation and monopolisation of the IT sector. 

In the UK alone, several well-known names in IT have merged or been bought:  

• Trustmarque and Ultima have completed their merger, creating a sizeable new player in services.  
• Ekco continued its growth by acquiring Predatech in May 25, Adapt IT in July 2025 and Solsoft in Oct 2025. 
• Softcat has brought in Oakland Group Services to deepen its data and AI capability. 
• On the infrastructure side, Park Place Technologies and Service Express are joining forces.  

These moves matter because they give larger firms the power to dictate pricing and support terms. With fewer independent options, the market becomes less competitive, and customers often end up paying more for a reduced level of service. 

When choice reduces, costs rise 

While mergers and acquisitions might sound like boardroom admin, the problem is what tends to follow. With fewer credible alternatives, the balance of power moves away from customers, and the increased control that fewer corporations have over the market will ultimately show up in your budget and choice of services. 

These are the risks buyers face when the market consolidates: 

• Choice narrows, so pricing becomes less fluid, and your negotiating power gets diminished. 
• Previously neutral vendors only recommend brands that are owned by their parent companies, reducing customer choice. 
• Buyouts can often equal staff layoffs. Experience leaves, knowledge drains away, and support can become offshore and standardised. 
• Private equity demands results — usually achieved through standardised services, reduced cost bases and fewer high-touch support resources. 
• Ultimately, the customer pays for the cost of the acquisition. 

Put simply, you start paying more for less say in how things are delivered. 

Watch out for service decline 

Most of you are not tracking mergers and acquisitions as a hobby, which is understandable – but you may be affected by them. Here is what to look out for when services start to slip: 

• Take it or leave it pricing: You find that account managers who used to have some control over pricing have their hands tied.  
• Contract terms change, and renewal prices go up beyond inflation and market conditions. 
• Support engineers disappear, lead times slip and you receive generic answers to your questions. 
• Your choices get diminished, and you are pushed onto replacement brands, rather than your first selection. 

Ultimately, if you start to feel as though you are no longer the customer but just a purchaser, then your beloved IT service provider may have just become as faceless as buying from Amazon. 

Why independent tech partners still matter 

Independent partners stay agile, responsive and accountable. Independent advisors, such as Trustco, focus on the right technology for the right customer, not the right quota. We know your environment, act fast when you need us, and keep things simple, familiar and transparent – with pricing and advice that actually make sense. 

• Advice without quotas: the recommendation is based on fit, not promotions or kickbacks. 
• Direct access: You build relationships with the people who can influence outcomes, not just log requests. 
• Team continuity: Account managers talk directly to techies, finance and management. 
• Simple pricing and flexible terms. 
• Accountability: We own the outcome, not pass it along. 
• Independent Value-Added Resellers (VARs) tend to collaborate to review business change, technical change, lifecycle options and value for money – whether that results in life extension, phased upgrade, or strategic refresh. 

In short, independence gives you agility and honesty, which makes for less operational stress and a potentially more resilient IT environment. 

Trust Trustco: Your independent IT champion. 

Trustco are a proudly independent, solely UK-based IT reseller. We are not owned by a global conglomerate and are not accountable to private equity firms. We have highly accredited certifications with the leading vendors and are not tied to any one manufacturer. That means our account managers are technical, wisely opinionated and on your side. 

When a vendor changes pricing, we analyse the justification and challenge whether it’s aligned with value. When a product or service does not fit, we will say so. Our job is to strengthen and evolve your IT environment, at a price you can afford. 

We understand that business is business, and as a result corporate consolidation will continue. Some deals will be good for customers, but many more will be good for shareholders.  

If you want a straight-talking second opinion on a renewal, contract, product or service, talk to us. We cut through the noise, stay independent in our advice, and recommend what’s genuinely in your best interest. 

We would love to hear from you. ❤️

Speak soon. Team Trustco.