UPDATE: Several former employees of Moss Technology, the computer services company acquired last month by Calyx, have left to form a new venture with communications specialist provider the DCM Group.
Called TechNiche, the new company is staffed by some of the previous senior management and technical personnel at Moss Technology. It is headed by Gareth Madden and Vincent Wynne, who previously held the posts of sales director and technical director respectively with Moss Technology. The ten-strong company also contains a number of other former Moss employees in a variety of technical roles. These engineers, who hold a number of high level technical accreditations, have in excess of 50 years’ experience in IT.
Calyx acquired Moss Technology for €5m earlier this summer as part of an aggressive expansion strategy; however it remains to be seen whether its money was wisely spent. Although it has bought a company with a strong track record in IT systems installation and maintenance, it appears to have been less interested in other parts of Moss’ portfolio and has lost some experienced technical staff as a result.
According to Gareth Madden, Moss had become more involved in network infrastructure deals and consultancy over the past number of years and this did not make a good strategic fit with Calyx’s approach to business, which he said was centred more around hardware sales. “The direction Calyx was going in was not the direction we wanted,” he told siliconrepublic.com.
Calyx managing director Maurice Healy said that staff departures were “standard fare” during acquisitions, but said that the latest developments had no effect on his intention to acquire another indigenous technology company. There have been discussions with some organisations, but no deals are imminent.
Healy had no specific comment to make about his company’s business strategy. “Everyone knows what Calyx does and what we’re good at,” he said.
Madden insisted that the new company should not be seen as a rival of its erstwhile owner. “There is a perception in the marketplace that we’re up against Calyx; nothing could be further from the truth,” he stressed.
TechNiche is intended to complement DCM Groups’ existing range of core network communication services. It will specialise in offering solutions based around Citrix application serving software and will offer services such as network consultancy and design, remote support for high-end operating systems and network security services. “The tie-in with DCM is perfect because now DCM can go to their clients with a further offering,” Madden said.
The new company has already won a number of lucrative contracts and hopes to earn revenues of €2m in its first year of trading.
By Gordon Smith
