Indiana-based Envisage sells software that public safety agencies can use for training, compliance and performance management. The deal brings together two tech providers as police, fire and medical response agencies continue to upgrade their systems and move more operations to the cloud. Norwest Venture Partners, which had owned a majority share in Envisage, will become a minority investor in the two companies, according to Vector.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Both Vector Solutions and Envisage share a common vision of elevating the safety and success of the clients and the communities we serve, and both companies have been strategically adding new products and capabilities into their portfolio to expand their value to clients,” wrote Victoria Zambito, Vector’s executive VP of communications and brand, in an email to Government Technology. “Now is the opportune time to combine our two companies to become even more essential to everyday readiness.”
The deal reflects Vector’s strategy of more integration of public safety technologies — with that strategy being part of a larger trend in the gov tech space.
“The acquisition provides public safety customers of both Vector and Envisage the opportunity to replace fragmented, single point products with a unified solution that helps agencies meet training, performance, regulatory and compliance requirements through one trusted vendor,” Zambito said. "In addition, customers will have access to additional reputable training content including national and state certified courses for law, and CAPCE and NFPA accredited courses for EMS and fire. Envisage clients will also have access to additional operational readiness solutions including shift scheduling, controlled substances management and field skill assessments.”
Envisage’s flagship product is called the Acadis Readiness Suite. It offers public safety training management for public safety agencies of all sizes. It also enables users to perform such tasks as document management, internal affairs case management and early intervention and performance management.
According to Vector, more than 11,000 agencies use Envisage technology — not only state and local governments, but federal law enforcement organizations and the military as well.
Vector’s SaaS tools, meanwhile, focus on such work as training management, continuing education, compliance training, workforce scheduling and safety management, and more. Florida-based Vector said it has some 35,000 clients worldwide. The company has existed since 1999, but began venturing into public safety in earnest in 2013.
The deal will give Vector a new advantage when trying to win more of the public safety marketplace, Zambito said.
“This acquisition allows Vector Solutions to offer an enterprise class solution scaled for large, complex customers that integrates all personnel, compliance and processes,” she said. “Additionally, Vector can expand product lines, have access to additional expertise and talent, and strengthen our public safety niche, allowing us to better serve our customers.”
The deal comes amid a wave of mergers and acquisitions involving government technology providers, driven in part by the overall move to cloud-based software and efforts to bring more efficiencies to emergency responders. Experts have said that this M&A activity will continue for the foreseeable future, especially as technology providers seek to integrate more software and services into their platforms.
