Abacus Group: A New Italian ICT Operator for SMEs
Introduction
The Italian ICT market for small and medium enterprises has a defining characteristic: in this segment, supplier fragmentation is the norm. Managing more than a dozen technology partners simultaneously to cover connectivity, infrastructure, security, and applications is a starting condition for many companies with 50 to 500 employees, incurring hidden management costs that are rarely quantified. This is the problem that Abacus Group aims to solve, officially presenting itself to the market in Milan as a new entity in the national ICT landscape.
A Strategic Initiative
This is not a technology startup nor the transformation of an existing company, but an industrial project built from scratch with the goal of aggregating specialized skills and offering them as an integrated service. The operational management is led by Michele Lamartina as CEO, with Marco Comastri, former CEO of Microsoft Italy, serving as president. Lamartina brings nearly thirty years of experience gained in leadership roles at major international organizations: significant positions include leading the Southern Europe market for Palo Alto Networks and holding leadership roles at Salesforce, VMware, CA Technologies, and Broadcom. A profile built in multinational corporations is now applied to a project with a deliberately Italian footprint, targeting a market segment often overlooked by major operators.
Growth Through Acquisitions
The story of Abacus Group began in 2022 when co-founders Pietro Scataglini and Ernesto Stamegna launched the industrial project, defining three acquisition strategies: infrastructure and managed services (ISP and MSP), digital transformation and AI, operational resource and competency management. From 2023 to May 2026, the group evaluated over 1,300 companies and completed 15 acquisitions, combining cash payments with a share exchange component to keep the founders of the acquired companies within the group as investors, maintaining operational roles and direct interest in overall growth.
Geographically, the acquired companies reflect this strategy: those with infrastructure competencies are predominantly located in the central-southern regions, where the digital disparity is more pronounced, and the demand for connectivity and managed services is growing. Companies focused on digital transformation are located in the north. In addition to its Italian presence, offices have been established in Spain and Lugano. To support operational integration, Abacus Service was established in January 2025 as the group's shared service center, centralizing HR, legal, IT, and finance by drawing on the internal resources of the acquired companies.
Financial Performance
By the end of 2025, the group's aggregated revenue was approximately 45 million euros, with an EBITDA of around 11 million. The three acquisitions closed between January and May 2026 have already led to an estimated growth of 10 to 15% over these numbers. The group currently employs over 450 employees distributed across 14 Italian locations.
A Unique Partner for the Technological Complexity of SMEs
The commercial positioning is structured around three integrated business lines. The first, Infrastructure & Managed Services, covers connectivity, cloud, data centers, business continuity, and essential cybersecurity levels: this component is what the group defines as the enabling base for all value-added services. The second, Digital & AI Transformation, includes system integration, software development, and AI adoption in business processes, aiming to move AI projects beyond pilot phases and integrate them into daily operations. The third, Workforce & Talent Solutions, provides qualified resources in areas where internal skills are lacking or insufficient.
The declared objective is to reduce supplier fragmentation and operate as the sole partner for the entire life cycle of corporate technology systems. As Michele Lamartina explains, the problem to be solved is structural: "Today, technology is a part of the daily operations of companies and an enabling factor for business. When it works, it ensures continuity, growth, and innovation; when it is fragmented or difficult to govern, it becomes a risk and a hindrance. Abacus Group was created to help organizations overcome this fragmentation and be one step ahead, making technology more reliable, manageable, and result-oriented."
The main target remains companies with 50 to 500 employees, which should generate between 70 and 75% of revenues at full scale. For larger clients, the approach is more selective: the group offers specialized expertise in areas like applied AI and integration systems, often collaborating with leading system integrators. The addressable market for SMEs is estimated at around 12 billion euros, out of a total Italian B2B ICT market of 44 billion.
The declared growth target is to exceed 200 million euros in revenue by 2029 through new acquisitions in core areas and organic growth from a customer base developed with a cross-selling approach among different lines. Geographically, expansion plans include markets such as Spain, which is already secured, and other European countries under analysis. The decision to focus on the intermediate market segment, historically less served by major industry players, defines the competitive identity of the group more than any other aspect of its positioning.