Cognizant acquires Paris-based testing firm

CHENNAI, INDIA: Cognizant, a provider of IT services, today announced that it has acquired Galileo Performance, a Paris-based provider of information technology (IT) testing consulting services. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition would strengthen Cognizant's presence in France. Galileo would expand and complement Cognizant’s fast-growing global testing practice, currently among the largest with more than 10,000 testing professionals, said a press release.

Industry research firm IDC forecasts a five-year CAGR of 19 per cent for discrete global testing services, reaching an estimated $17.7 billion by 2013.

“We welcome Galileo’s talented consultants to Cognizant. The acquisition will enable Cognizant to bring world-class testing services to the French market, and the addition of French-speaking consultants will help us better serve our customers in the region,” said Francisco D’Souza, president and CEO, Cognizant.

“We are delighted to join Cognizant. With a shared commitment to client satisfaction and delivery excellence, together we can deliver a comprehensive suite of software testing services spanning consulting, enterprise services and functionality testing, with a native French-speaking capability,” said Abel Guerrini, managing director, Galileo Performance.

“New virtualized business and technology architectures require that quality assurance and testing organizations transform themselves into full lifecycle partners, working with business users, developers and others within and outside of the client organization to champion software quality,” said Sumithra Gomatam, senior vice president and global head of Cognizant’s Testing Practice.

He added that they look forward to working with the Galileo team to expand Cognizant’s testing services in the French market, and to bring innovative testing services including managed test centers as well as virtualized and cloud-enabled testing to clients.