KKR to buy IT services firm Ensono for $1.7 billion

Private-equity giant KKR & Co Inc KKR.N said on Wednesday it would buy information technology services provider Ensono from Charlesbank Capital Partners and M/C Partners.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Reuters had reported on Tuesday that KKR would buy Ensono for around $1.7 billion, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter.

Illinois-based Ensono provides cloud infrastructure services to businesses and government agencies. It hosts servers, databases and mainframe operations, counting Sonoco Products Co SON.N, Travelodge and the U.S. state of Kansas as its clients.

The company, which has benefited from the accelerating digital transformation demands from corporations during the COVID-19 pandemic, had acquired UK-based cloud-native consultancy Amido earlier this month to strengthen its global offerings.

KKR said it was making the investment primarily from its Americas XII Fund. The transaction is expected to close within the next 60 days.

UBS Investment Bank and Guggenheim Securities are serving as the financial advisers to Ensono, while Morgan Stanley & Co and RBC Capital Markets are advising KKR.