SLPowers

SLPowers was an American information-technology services provider founded in 1985 by Steven L. Powers. Based in West Palm Beach, Florida, the company initially operated as a traditional hardware value-added reseller and IT professional-services firm. It became associated with the early development of networked-computing support, including work as a Novell Gold Partner, and served organizations that required assistance with computer infrastructure, systems integration, and technical operations. The business changed ownership and corporate form several times while retaining the SLPowers trade name. A/G Technologies Inc. acquired SLPowers Computer Consultants Inc. in March 2000. The acquisition connected the SLPowers operation with A/G Technologies' development of flat-rate service contracts, a model that helped anticipate the recurring-revenue structure later associated with managed service providers. SLPowers subsequently expanded through the June 2005 acquisition of Gator Technologies, a Boca Raton, Florida-based technology company. Over time, the company's scope moved beyond resale and project-based consulting. Its principal offering became a managed IT, cloud, and security platform intended to help small and medium-sized businesses administer infrastructure running on Windows, OS X, and Linux. The platform-oriented model emphasized ongoing management rather than one-time hardware transactions, reflecting the broader shift in business technology toward outsourced IT operations, remote monitoring, security support, and recurring service arrangements. SLPowers also maintained offices at various times in Atlanta, Georgia, and Norfolk, Connecticut, in addition to its Florida headquarters. The company received an Industry Contribution Award from CompTIA in 2007. The recognition cited its pioneering contribution to managed IT services and its willingness to share operating practices with other technology-services providers. This award provides a useful marker of SLPowers' position within the early managed-services community, although publicly available material does not provide detailed customer, revenue, workforce, or market-share information. Beginning in 2010, a change in corporate structure made SLPowers a trade name of Extensible Computing LLC. In 2015, Extensible Computing became a wholly owned subsidiary of Network Security Partners LLC. The SLPowers name remained in commercial use during these ownership transitions. In March 2018, Network Security Partners LLC of Florida and True Digital Security Inc. of Oklahoma completed a merger of equals that created a new Delaware corporation also named True Digital Security Inc. Extensible Computing became a wholly owned subsidiary of that new company, and the SLPowers trade name was retired. SLPowers therefore survives primarily as a historical brand associated with the development of managed IT and outsourced technology services in the United States.

SLPowers began in 1985 when Steven L. Powers founded SLPowers Computer Consultants Inc. in the United States. The original business combined computer-hardware resale with IT professional services. As computer networking became more important to business operations, SLPowers developed expertise in network implementation and support and became known as a Novell Gold Partner. Its early identity was therefore that of a technically oriented value-added reseller and systems consultant rather than a consumer-facing software or hardware brand. The company entered a major ownership transition in March 2000, when A/G Technologies Inc. acquired SLPowers Computer Consultants Inc. The SLPowers name continued to be used after the acquisition. A/G Technologies had been developing a flat-rate service-contract model in the late 1990s, before the acquisition, and that model evolved toward the managed-services approach. Under this broader model, customers paid for ongoing technical support and infrastructure management instead of relying solely on individual projects, hardware purchases, or hourly consulting. SLPowers expanded in June 2005 by acquiring Gator Technologies, a company based in Boca Raton, Florida. The acquisition added to the company's regional technology-services footprint. During its operating history, SLPowers was headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, and also maintained offices at different times in Atlanta, Georgia, and Norfolk, Connecticut. The business gradually shifted toward managed IT, cloud, and security services. Its flagship platform was designed to manage the information-technology infrastructure of small and medium-sized businesses. The supported environments included Windows, Apple's OS X, and Linux systems. This offering reflected the growing demand for outsourced administration, remote infrastructure support, cloud operations, and security management. SLPowers retained roots in hardware and professional services, but its strategic significance lay in its movement toward recurring managed services at a relatively early stage in the U.S. managed-service-provider market. In 2007, CompTIA awarded SLPowers an Industry Contribution Award. The award recognized the company's contribution to managed IT services and its practice of sharing best practices with other providers. That recognition positioned SLPowers as an industry participant whose influence extended beyond direct customer work, although available reference material does not document the full scope of its partnerships, customer base, or financial performance. A corporate restructuring in 2010 changed the legal relationship between the company and the brand: SLPowers became a trade name of Extensible Computing LLC. In 2015, Extensible Computing became a wholly owned subsidiary of Network Security Partners LLC. The SLPowers name remained visible during this period, even though the underlying corporate structure had changed. The brand's independent identity ended in March 2018. Network Security Partners LLC of Florida and True Digital Security Inc. of Oklahoma completed a merger of equals, forming a new Delaware corporation that also used the True Digital Security name. Extensible Computing became a wholly owned subsidiary of the new True Digital Security Inc., and the SLPowers trade name was retired. SLPowers is consequently a defunct historical IT-services brand, notable for its transition from network-oriented hardware resale and consulting to managed IT, cloud, and security services.

• 2018

  Brand retirement

  [1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  Following the merger of Network Security Partners and True Digital Security, the SLPowers trade name was retired.

• 2015

  Extensible Computing joins Network Security Partners

  [1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  Extensible Computing LLC became a wholly owned subsidiary of Network Security Partners LLC.

• 2010

  Trade-name transition to Extensible Computing

  [1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  SLPowers became a trade name used by Extensible Computing LLC following a corporate-structure change.

• 2007

  CompTIA Industry Contribution Award

  [1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  CompTIA recognized SLPowers for its pioneering managed-services work and contribution to industry knowledge sharing.

• 2005

  Gator Technologies acquisition

  [1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  SLPowers acquired Boca Raton-based Gator Technologies.

• 2000

  Acquisition by A/G Technologies

  [1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  A/G Technologies Inc. acquired SLPowers Computer Consultants Inc.; the SLPowers trade name continued after the transaction.

• 1985

  SLPowers Computer Consultants is founded

  [1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  Steven L. Powers founded SLPowers Computer Consultants Inc. as a U.S. hardware value-added reseller and IT professional-services company.

An early U.S. managed-services provider serving small and medium-sized businesses, combining infrastructure resale and professional IT consulting with recurring managed IT, cloud, and security support.

• Managed technology services

  Managed IT, Cloud and Security platform

  SLPowers' flagship offering was a managed platform for small and medium-sized businesses. It focused on the continuing administration and support of IT infrastructure, including environments based on Windows, OS X, and Linux. The service represented the company's transition from traditional resale and consulting toward recurring managed IT, cloud, and security operations.

• IT infrastructure services · 1985

  Hardware resale and IT professional services

  SLPowers began as a hardware value-added reseller and professional-services provider. Its work included technology infrastructure support and network-oriented consulting, with the company becoming associated with Novell through Gold Partner status. These activities formed the operational base from which its later managed-services business developed.

• 2018

  Merger of Network Security Partners and True Digital SecurityM&A

  Background

  Network Security Partners and True Digital Security combined their businesses in a merger of equals.

  Action taken

  The companies formed a new Delaware corporation named True Digital Security Inc.; Extensible Computing became its wholly owned subsidiary and the SLPowers trade name was retired.

  Aftermath

  SLPowers ceased to be an active brand.

  Source

• 2015

  Extensible Computing becomes a Network Security Partners subsidiaryM&A

  Background

  The SLPowers trade name was being used through Extensible Computing LLC.

  Action taken

  Network Security Partners LLC made Extensible Computing a wholly owned subsidiary.

  Aftermath

  SLPowers continued as a trade name under a larger corporate ownership structure.

  Source

• 2010

  Adoption of the Extensible Computing trade-name structureStrategy

  Background

  A corporate-structure change altered the legal identity under which the business operated.

  Action taken

  SLPowers became a trade name of Extensible Computing LLC.

  Aftermath

  The SLPowers identity remained in commercial use even though the operating entity changed.

  Source

• 2005

  Acquisition of Gator TechnologiesM&A

  Background

  SLPowers pursued regional expansion in Florida after becoming part of A/G Technologies.

  Action taken

  SLPowers acquired Gator Technologies of Boca Raton.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition broadened the company's regional technology-services operations.

  Source

• 2000

  A/G Technologies acquires SLPowersM&A

  Background

  SLPowers was operating as a hardware reseller and IT-services company when A/G Technologies acquired it.

  Action taken

  A/G Technologies purchased SLPowers Computer Consultants Inc. and continued the SLPowers business name.

  Aftermath

  The transaction connected SLPowers with A/G Technologies' developing flat-rate managed-service model.

  Source

• 2018

  SLPowers trade name retired after True Digital Security merger[1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  Network Security Partners and True Digital Security completed a merger of equals in March 2018. Extensible Computing became a subsidiary of the resulting True Digital Security, and the SLPowers name was retired.

• 2015

  Extensible Computing becomes a Network Security Partners subsidiary[1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Extensible Computing LLC became a wholly owned subsidiary of Network Security Partners LLC, while the SLPowers trade name remained in use.

• 2010

  SLPowers becomes a trade name of Extensible Computing[1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Following a corporate-structure change, SLPowers began operating as a trade name used by Extensible Computing LLC.

• 2007

  SLPowers receives CompTIA Industry Contribution Award[1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  CompTIA recognized SLPowers for pioneering work in managed IT services and for sharing best practices with other IT service providers.

• 2005

  SLPowers acquires Gator Technologies[1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  SLPowers acquired Gator Technologies of Boca Raton, Florida, expanding its technology-services operations.

• 2000

  A/G Technologies acquires SLPowers Computer Consultants[1]SLPowersen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  A/G Technologies Inc. acquired SLPowers Computer Consultants Inc. in March 2000, while the business continued operating under the SLPowers name.

1. 1SLPowersen.wikipedia.org