RESELLER NEWS technologyreseller.co.uk 11 Ekco makes third UK acquisition in a year Apogee to acquire Argon Business Systems Apogee has strengthened its managed IT services proposition with the acquisition of Argon Business Systems Ltd – its third acquisition since coming under the ownership of HP in 2018. Founded in 1983, Argon is a provider of IT services, MPS (managed print services) and other professional services to public and private sector organisations on the Isle of Man. Argon CEO Iain Fairbairn said: “This deal will enable the ongoing growth and development of the Argon team on the Island and expand our range of Managed IT Services into the Apogee customer base across the UK and Ireland. Working with Apogee, we will be able to extend the solutions delivered and the value we can offer to our wide-ranging customer base. Apogee’s investment recognises the strength of our economy, the many sectors represented and the opportunities that exist on the Island.” Since being acquired by HP, Apogee has focused on developing a broader services portfolio and an expanded presence in Europe. apogeecorp.com Flotek expands reach to North Wales Fast-growth MSP Flotek has announced its sixth acquisition since April last year in the form of ECS Solutions, a telecom service provider and system maintainer based in Chester. Following the company’s recent investment in South East telecoms specialist FlexiNet, the acquisition of certified Alcatel Lucent supplier ECS Solutions extends the Group’s IT and telecom service offering to North Wales, the Midlands and North West England and increases its turnover to £4.5m and its client base to 850 businesses. Flotek CEO Jay Ball said: “To date, our business growth has focused on South Wales and England, so this latest acquisition is an exciting step forward that significantly expands our reach across the UK.” Ekco has strengthened its cloud migration and security capabilities with its third UK acquisition in the last 12 months. Following its strategic investments in Frontier Technology and xTEN in 2022, Ekco has now acquired iSYSTEMS, a specialist in hybrid cloud, modern workplace, cyber security and data lifecycle management for mid-tier and enterprise organisations. Ekco UK MD Adam Bradley said: “Ekco acquired iSYSTEMS for their energy and passion in building long-term partnerships with customers in the mid-market and enterprise space. This customer-centric, collaborative mindset really aligns with our approach at Ekco. In addition, many of our customers want to move to hybrid and public cloud, primarily Microsoft Azure, and iSYSTEMS has a great level of experience in migrations of large, complex environments.” In the last few years, Ekco has made a number of acquisitions to boost its cyber security and managed cloud offering across 17 locations in Europe. It also has a presence in Malaysia through its acquisition of cyber security provider Caveo late last year. Bradley added: “Our buy and build strategy, as well as our focus on organic growth, helped us achieve a 97% increase in revenue last year. We now serve over 3,000 customers and employ over 600 people. Technology is constantly changing, which makes it more important than ever that customers have one provider who can meet all their IT needs. We remain focused on expanding and enhancing our services so our customers can benefit from the best technologies and expertise that suits their unique business requirements.” Rob Robinson, CTO at iSYSTEMS; Mick Cooper, MD at iSYSTEMS; and Adam Bradley, MD at Ekco UK Covenco unites the two sides of its business Sister companies Covenco365 and Covenco UK have announced their formal merger and the launch of a new brand, Covenco, with a combined, endto-end IT proposition connecting data management services with IT hardware supply and support. Through the two sides of its business, Covenco has over 32 years’ experience in Infrastructure and Data Management technologies, specialising in IBM hardware and data backup and recovery solutions. Each company will continue to serve existing clients as Covenco. However, the larger company now offers a broader range of end-to-end services, including new and used hardware, managed services and data backup, data protection and security. Mark Creasey, Covenco Group Chairman, said: “We believe this combined offering will allow our clients and staff to enjoy the benefits of an integrated, seamless and full-service solution. Merging under a single Covenco entity unlocks this unique opportunity to support our clients and our team further.” Covenco has offices in the UK, Spain, Denmark and the USA. It is fully ISO27001-accredited for data security and its UK data centres have two Petabytes of customer data under management at any time. Apple accreditation for Kingsfield IT Northampton-based public sector IT specialist Kingsfield IT has joined the Apple Consultants Network (ACN), a global community of independent technology service providers specialising in Apple solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. Apple consultants are specially trained to help identify, set up and use Apple technology. Their responsibilities include the provision of outsourced IT support, onsite assessments, on-site installation/configuration and vertical industry expertise. Kingsfield Managing Director Brian Boys said: “As a busy small business owner, implementing new technology can seem impractical or even overwhelming. As part of the Apple Consultants Network, Kingsfield is here to provide outsourced tech support and on-hand expertise from our specialist team, so you can focus on growing your business.” https://www.kingsfieldit.com/contact-us/
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