UKFast acquires cloud and cybersecurity firm
Tech firm UKFast has acquired cloud and cybersecurity service provider Secure Information Assurance (S-IA) for an undisclosed sum.
Ribchester, Lancashire-based S-IA provides secure cloud hosting and cybersecurity services to the UK Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office and a raft of other UK government organisations.
The deal gives Manchester-based UKFast access to IL3 and IL4/Official-Sensitive accreditations as well as the UK’s highest security rated hosting, known as List-X.
Established in 2003, S-IA is focussed exclusively on government and public sector services. Its chief executive Martin Knapp will head up UKFast’s G-Cloud team as part of the move, targeting a share of the £1.69bn currently spent through the government procurement framework.
Knapp said: “There are so many technical synergies between us and UKFast; at the hardware level, the software level and at the service level too. Their technical capabilities and infrastructure are like none I’ve seen elsewhere.
“Wholly owned, UK-based data centres are such an important factor for the sector we’re dealing with.”
UKFast co-founder and commercial director Gail Jones and director of mergers and acquisitions Catherine Houghton oversaw the deal.
Gail Jones said: “We’ve looked at 15 potential deals in the last year and this one was really head and shoulders above the rest. It was further reinforced when we spoke with the cabinet office, who gave S-IA a glowing report.”
Sarah Walton, corporate partner at Weightmans, advised the sellers. Financial due diligence was carried out by Nicola Merritt at Dow Schofield Watts and Legal due diligence by Nabarro.
The deal follows the acquisition of cybersecurity specialists Pentest Limited by UKFast’s security business Secarma in July 2016.
