Accenture down to buy Downdetector as part of $1.2 billion deal

Accenture is going to get a closer look into how web traffic is moving...or not moving. The company has announced plans to buy Downdetector parent company Ookla from Ziff Davis as part of a package deal with other software for $1.2 billion. The purchase will enhance the consulting megalith's intelligence and analytics tools, giving it visibility into networks. The deal, which will transfer all of Ziff Davis’s Connectivity division to Accenture, includes Ookla’s Speedtest, Ekahau, and RootMetrics, according to a statement from Accenture. Accenture said the combined software will help communication service providers, hyperscalers, and enterprises optimize the mission-critical Wi-Fi and 5G networks. “Modern networks have evolved from simple infrastructure into business-critical platforms,” said Accenture CEO Julie Sweet in a canned statement. “Without the ability to measure performance, organizations cannot optimize experience, revenue, or security.” Ookla is meant to let them do just that. Data captured at the network and device layer are used to enhance fraud prevention in banking, smart homes monitoring, and traffic optimization in retail, Accenture said. Ookla’s platform, which lets user's test their own connectivity speed, captures more than 1,000 attributes per test, and provides the foundation for those analytics, Accenture said. In January, Accenture announced plans to buy UK-based AI firm Faculty, a Palantir competitor, that was founded in the UK by New Zealand-born physicist Marc Warner in 2014. Faculty CEO Warner has been onboarded as Accenture’s new chief technology officer. In February, Accenture said it would buy Verum Partners, an infrastructure and capital projects management firm based in South America with expertise in the mining, metals, transportation, logistics, chemicals and energy industries. Accenture tells staffers: If you want a promotion, use AI at work British Palantir rival, whose founder touted UK tech sovereignty, sells to Accenture Bank of England says it can run £431M settlement system without Accenture OpenAI asks its friends to tell their friends about Frontier Ziff Davis said it plans to use the proceeds to pay down $872 million in debt it disclosed during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call two weeks ago. The deal is subject to closing conditions and regulatory oversight but is expected to close in the “coming months." Vivek Shah, CEO of Ziff Davis said in a statement that its Connectivity division, where Ookla resides, generated $231 million in revenue last year, which accounted for roughly 16 percent of the company’s overall sales. Ziff Davis shares rose dramatically following news of the deal, rocketing some 81 percent and adding $800 million to its market value, which now stands at $1.9 billion. Accenture shares traded flat Tuesday morning. ®