BigHand Acquires nFlow Software
BigHand, a voice productivity vendor in the professional services and public sector community, has acquired nFlow Software, a provider of digital dictation technology, for an undisclosed amount.
This takes the BigHand international client base to 1,250 organizations and 117,000 users worldwide.
“For some time the similarities in the approach of BigHand and nFlow have been clear, and when we identified a chance to accelerate our global strategy through acquisition we did not hesitate," said BigHand CEO Jon Ardron. "NFlow quite rightly has a reputation for client responsiveness and product innovation that has led to it becoming a leading supplier in the U.K. legal and professional services digital dictation sector. We knew both companies share a strong commitment to customer delivery, but as I have come to know Rob Lancashire – nFlow's managing director - we have discovered a joint vision of open, flexible, and highly accessible voice productivity technology. We are all excited by the positive impact this will have on our customers. In fact, we already have some key technology announcements due within weeks that will benefit both nFlow and BigHand users regardless of what product they may be using.”
Lancashire will become managing director of a newly formed BigHand U.K. Legal & Professional Services Division. NFlow users are expected to immediately benefit from some exciting product developments shortly to be announced by BigHand.
“I believe this is a very positive move for the nFlow client base, and personally I am excited to have the opportunity to make my personal mark on BigHand, a company that has a significant reputation for dynamic growth," Lancashire said. "The resources and infrastructure made available by this deal are striking and will enable us to deliver a range of benefits for nFlow users. Medium term we have a strategy to ensure this deal benefits BigHand and nFlow customers by unlocking increased feature sets and software capabilities for both products. Longer term we foresee a converged product offered by a single company characterized by service quality and innovation. Importantly, I want to assure nFlow clients in regards to their investment in nFlow digital dictation software: I can categorically state that it is our intention that nFlow software will be supported indefinitely, and this was a critical provision in the deal.”
As part of the new structure BigHand has also created a new U.K. Healthcare Division, and following his success as BigHand’s U.K. sales director, James Kippenberger has been tapped to head that division. Jonathan Carter has decided to leave the group following these structural changes and a refocusing of corporate strategy. However he will remain involved in a consultancy capacity in the coming months, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.