Lenovo completes takeover of IBM x86 server business in UK and Ireland

Transition of employees and business operations from IBM to Lenovo now accomplished

Lenovo has finally completed the integration of IBM's x86 server business assets in the UK and Ireland, following the closure of the acquisition in October.

The move by Lenovo to purchase IBM's x86 server division and its assets was one of the big news stories of 2014. The agreement overcame various hurdles before the initial closing of the deal took effect at a worldwide level on 1 October.

However, while the deal had been sealed, the two firms said at the time that employees and business operations in the EMEA region would be migrated from IBM to Lenovo over a period of several months to ensure a seamless transition.

This was reportedly owing to the large number of countries and processes that IBM had in place across the EMEA region.

Lenovo announced today that the move of IBM x86 employees and business operations to Lenovo took effect from 1 January.

Welcoming the move, Marc Godin, Lenovo's vice president and general manager for UK and Ireland, explained that the firm is now looking to capitalise on its acquisition.

"Our priorities are to deliver a seamless transition for customers and partners while we accelerate our server business. We have big plans for the enterprise market and aim to repeat the success we've had in PCs," he said.

Lenovo said in a statement that the integration of IBM's x86 server business will extend its capabilities in enterprise hardware and services, and position it as a top player in the server market.

The firm added that combining Lenovo's global reach, efficiency and operational excellence with IBM's legendary quality, innovation and service will give Lenovo a competitive advantage to drive growth and build the company into an enterprise leader.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lenovo has committed to following IBM's x86 product roadmap for the present, including the Flex and x86-based PureFlex integrated systems as well as the mainstream System x servers.

Lenovo said it will continue to drive innovation in these products, while IBM will continue to provide maintenance for customers on Lenovo's behalf for an extended period, to ensure a seamless transition with no change in maintenance support for enterprise customers.

As part of the agreement, Lenovo and IBM have also established a partnership under which Lenovo will serve as an original equipment manufacturer to IBM, as well as gaining the rights to resell selected products from IBM's portfolio to its own customers.

The deal had seemed far from certain to reach closure at times. Some reports in the press even claimed at one point that the acquisition had been derailed after US government security concerns about a Chinese-owned firm gaining access to systems widely deployed in companies and government departments.

Despite this, Lenovo remained confident that it could demonstrate due diligence and satisfy US government concerns, especially as the company had gone through the process before when it picked up IBM's PC business a decade ago.