Fast-growing cloud computing firm Dediserve has acquired web-hosting provider AventureHost as part of plans to expand into the UK market.
The acquisition is predicted to bring Dediserve’s annual revenue to €1m by 2011.
Based in central Belfast, AventureHost has been trading for more than seven years and is the second largest web-hosting firm in the North with a reputation for delivering a high-quality service backed by first-rate customer support.
AventureHost has four employees and a customer spread ranging from private individuals and sole operators to technology firms and large UK banks.
Dediserve’s managing director Aidan McCarron says the acquisition will give his company an instant physical presence in the Northern Irish market and will deliver economies of scale as AventureHost’s infrastructure and customers are migrated over to Dediserve’s cloud platform.
Springboard into UK market
He adds it will also provide a significant springboard to the wider UK market.
“The acquisition provides the legal, financial and technical support frameworks that are needed to expand into the UK. It means we can make subsequent UK acquisitions and quite rapidly integrate those customers within our cloud platform without having to reinvent the wheel.”
The founder of AventureHost Richard Kennedy is staying on as Group CTO of Dediserve, responsible for its cloud infrastructure and for managing the technical integration of any future acquisitions.
According to Kennedy, continuity was a major factor in his decision to sell to Dediserve.
“We had previously been approached by other companies but I wasn’t convinced. It came down to trust; it needed to be someone who I knew would take care of the business going forward, who would look after our customers well. That’s why I chose Dediserve and that’s why I wanted to stay on. We are bringing a huge amount of experience to a brand new company.”
Kennedy adds that the newly merged firm will be well positioned to expand in the NI market.
“The Northern Irish hosting market is saturated and has been for many years. The merger will give us access to a huge number of modern resources that will allow us to target the cloud computing market here.
“There is a significant opportunity because the market is undeveloped and there is no competitor I am aware of that has a proper cloud infrastructure.”
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