Digital transformation has been a top priority for businesses in recent years, and Sharp’s recent acquisition of Apsia, a leader in cloud integration and digital transformation, has strengthened its combined offer across Europe. Olivier Massonnat, CEO of Apsia, looks at how Sharp and Apsia has already started on a continued journey of digital transformation and how this will benefit both customers and partners alike.
Apsia, with offices in France, Italy, and Spain, employs over 150 people to provide a diverse range of services including Cloud ERP, Cloud CRM, Cybersecurity, Data/AI and Cloud Analytics, as well as consultancy and implementation programmes. Our skills and expertise have helped expand Sharp’s technical capabilities, enabling us to better serve businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large organisations.
Our foundation is deeply rooted in providing business-driven IT advice. While our journey began in consulting – providing business analysis and change management – it soon evolved as technology advanced and cloud adoption became mainstream.
The arrival of cloud technology, particularly SaaS, allowed us to expand our services, eliminating the need for traditional infrastructure knowledge and enabled us to set up ERP and CRM systems on cloud platforms directly, streamlining the process. What once required a server and all the related hardware now only required a URL from Microsoft, allowing us to focus on providing strategic implementation advice, while leveraging technology partners’ platforms to enable the back end.
From here, we expanded by hiring cloud architects and cloud-first expertise, allowing us to offer a comprehensive range of services from consulting and implementation to support and resale. This is particularly valuable for mid-market companies undergoing digital transformation to keep up with an evolving market. These companies often seek a single partner to guide them through the entire process without the complexity of dealing with multiple vendors, and that’s where we come in.
Most of our work revolves around strategic cloud projects starting with areas such as CRM and ERP transformation and sometimes moving on to the whole transformation process effectively. This enables our customers to benefit from new innovations in data analytics, AI, and security.
Our client base is diverse, ranging from fast-growing startups like Backmarket and Team Vitality to large corporations undergoing extensive transformation projects. Fast-growth businesses can benefit from one central point of contact for various technology integrations, allowing them to focus on their core business operations while we manage the IT.
Take Team Vitality, a French E-Sport company with complex needs; a store where they sell all their gaming products, a marketing unit that's reselling projects, the gaming industry where they host competitions – and they even have spaces that they rent for people to play. With multiple business models, their IT needs are complex and require a tailored, custom approach that is agile and effective.
Often a client needs help integrating tech, for instance they might have two whole platforms that they have to upgrade, such as linking a cool website with a complicated back office. We can manage the whole process by bridging the old technology with the new.
We also work with large businesses, like Teleperformance, specifically on ERP implementation on Microsoft platforms as part of its overall transformation programme. We compete against major players like Accenture, Deloitte, and KPMG in the big market space, and in the mid-market space, competitors include other Microsoft and SAP partners. This means Sharp can now provide IT services to more medium to larger businesses than ever before.
That said, we also work with smaller growth-focused companies, adapting to the agile environment these businesses often require. Our work is always tailored to a customer’s specific needs, and we might typically start with an ERP or CRM project and then expand our services as the business evolves.
The integration with Sharp unlocks exciting possibilities for scaling projects across different markets. Sharp's larger customer base and complementary business practices provide a broader value proposition. This integration allows us to offer a wider range of services, including cloud infrastructure and modern workplace solutions.
The opportunity to join Sharp has been a significant milestone for Apsia – we are honoured to partner with the pioneers of innovation on a journey to grow our services and the business across Europe. We have always wanted to serve our customers' full digital transformation needs and with Sharp we’ll be working towards this.
We’re on an exciting journey of growth, serving businesses across Europe with an expanding range of services as Sharp continues to create value and meaningful business impact.
