Systems Integrator AF Associates will acquire Sony's Systems integration business for an undisclosed sum. The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of the year.

The deal will strengthen AFA's position as a leading systems integration provider and give it a valuable presence on the West Coast, according to Tom Canavan, president of the Northvale, N.J.-based company.

"There are no plans to close any facilities. We expect to maintain SIC's presence on the West Coast," Canavan said, adding that the AFA and Sony's work on building CNN's new New York facility helped instigate the decision to merge.

The industry has been rife with rumors for months about Sony's intent to sell its integration business; although the company has long maintained that its systems integration business was one of the most profitable divisions of its broadcast business, it company has recently been under tremendous pressure to improve its bottom line. In addition, because it is the broadcast industry's largest vendor, the company struggled with the perception that its systems integration business had an unfair competitive advantage over other systems integrators.