| | DECEMBER 20238COGNIZANT TO ACQUIRE THIRDERA TO FOCUS ON WORKFLOW SOLUTIONSCognizant has agreed to purchase Thirdera, a two-year-old worldwide pure-play consultancy firm, as part of its focus on new enterprise workflow products.Cognizant, based in the United States, intends to incorporate 940 workers from Thirdera into its ServiceNow business group, which has a team of 1,500 people. Jason Wojahn, CEO and cofounder of Thirdera, will lead the ServiceNow business group, according to Cognizant.Cognizant and ServiceNow are currently building a $1 billion combined business focused on AI-driven automation. The addition of Thirdera, which brings an on-and-near-shore global presence for the Cognizant ServiceNow Business Group, will build on that business, as per economic times. The transaction is expected to be completed in January 2024. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.Cognizant has spent over $3.04 billion on acquisitions, according to analytics firm Tracxn, with the most recent being an IoT software engineering services provider Mobica, which was purchased in January of this year.Cognizant bought Linium, a cloud transition consultant business focusing in the ServiceNow platform, in February 2021."ServiceNow is leading a market shift toward customer, employee, and creator products. I believe the combination of Cognizant's deep industry, AI platform expertise paired with Thirdera's leading-edge offerings in enterprise transformation will position Cognizant at the forefront of thought leadership and innovation in the ServiceNow ecosystem," said Ravi Kumar S, CEO of Cognizant.Thirdera, based in Colorado, specializes in consultation, implementation, and optimization solutions. Thirdera's ServiceNow training platform, Thirdera University - one of the world's largest - is expected to play a central role in credentialing resources to meet growing demand in the ServiceNow ecosystem as part of the acquisition, according to the statement, adding that the acquisition will create a combined Cognizant ServiceNow Business Group with more than 2,400 specialists and 14,000 certifications - creating one of the largest accredited ServiceNow parities. In reaction to new EU tech regulations, Alphabet's Google, Meta Platforms, Qualcomm, and seven other major companies joined together to advocate for open digital ecosystems--a move that may also blunt the edge of any future laws.ACalling itself the Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems (CODE), the group said it wants to promote more open platforms and systems to boost growth and innovation in Europe, as per reuters. The group announced that it will collaborate with researchers, decision-makers, and businesses on digital transparency and how it might be accomplished in Europe "through the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and in future EU regulatory framework developments". As per the DMA, gatekeepers--tech behemoths that manage user access to their platforms--must permit third parties to integrate with their services and for their business users to advertise their offerings and enter into agreements with clients outside of the gatekeeper's platform."We have had a number of conversations in the past few months about what `good' looks like when it comes to digital ecosystems in Europe, what fosters innovation, and what will positively impact competitiveness. We think openness is the crucial element," Lynx founder Stan Larroque said in a statement.The consortium also includes Norwegian tech business Opera, German messaging services provider Wire, French augmented reality start-up Lynx, US telecom equipment manufacturer Motorola, UK electronics manufacturer Nothing, and Chinese smart device maker Honor.According to the Coalition, among other things, it seeks to facilitate seamless communication and interoperable technologies while also opening up digital ecosystems through cross-industry collaboration. INFOCUSGOOGLE, META AND QUALCOMM TEAM UP FOR OPEN DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS
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