Irish technology consultancy Storm Technology has been acquired by British cybersecurity expert Littlefish.
Littlefish, which employs about 700 people, was founded in 2003 and has offices in Nottingham and Sheffield.
The company, which is backed by private equity group Bowmark Capital, said the acquisition will enable it to continue enlarging its portfolio. It is understood to have its eye on a number of other investment opportunities in Ireland.
Littlefish said the deal would allow it to harness “new potential” in the British and Irish markets, as well as address the “growing demand for business-focused Microsoft solutions”, while also expanding its customer base here.
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Littlefish chief executive Steve Robinson said the acquisition marked “the next part of our success story, expanding our presence and footprint with a like-minded organisation and services that will materially enhance our Microsoft business solution capabilities”.
Storm Technology chief executive Karl Flannery said the move would facilitate its entry into the UK market.
The company was founded in 1995 to “help Irish organisations on their digital transformation journey”. It went on to establish itself as one of the leading Microsoft business technology consultancies in Ireland. It employs about 160 people.
Its most recently filed financial results, which cover 2022, show it made a profit before tax of €865,149, bouncing back from a loss of €773,201 the year before. The company’s turnover was €16.5 million in 2022, up from just under €15 million.
Littlefish has expertise in managed IT services, cybersecurity, cloud services and strategic consultancy.
Storm Technology said the acquisition would further strengthen its service portfolio for new and existing customers in Ireland.
It added this would particularly be the case in the areas of managed IT services and cyber security, sectors which it said would “facilitate future growth”, enabling the delivery of its products to the UK market.
“Similarly, the deal will allow Littlefish to address the growing demand for business-focused Microsoft solutions and expand its customer base in Ireland,” Storm Technology marketing director Roisin McLaughlin said.
“In turn, this will see both companies extend their capabilities across larger-scale projects and to a wider breadth of clients.
“Together, Storm Technology and Littlefish will continue to deliver industry-leading services to existing customers across the areas of managed IT services, cloud services, and strategic consultancy.”
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