1. CSC Merges With HPE Enterprise Services, Forms DXC Technology

Head count: 100,000 employees

Annual revenue: $18 billion

Value of merger for HPE shareholders: $8.5 billion

Deal closed: April 3

DXC Technology officially opened for business with 170,000 employees and $26 billion of annual sales after Tysons, Va.-based CSC, No. 8 on the 2016 CRN SP 500, closed its merger with Palo Alto, Calif.-based HPE Enterprise Services, No. 3 on the 2016 CRN SP 500.

The world's third largest solution provider said it is focused on stabilizing revenue, developing next-generation talent, and driving digital transformation. DXC is trying to turn around the middling fortunes of CSC and HPE ES through heavy investment in emerging technologies and a series of tuck-in acquisitions.

DXC CEO Mike Lawrie told investors in march that the CSC and HPE ES brands "were sort of tired," with CSC being "'me too' for a lot of years" and HPE ES being "a captive channel distribution for technology." The company expects overall revenue growth of 1 percent to 4 percent through 2020.