Buy-and-build firm, Digital Barriers, has announced a significant contract valued at £2.5 million over five months with an existing UK client. In the year to 31st March 2011, Digital Barriers, which is focusing on the provision of advanced surveillance technologies, reported revenues of £6.6 million (see Digital Barriers: partnerships with SIs will help to build scale), and for H112 reported revenues of £4.8 million. Digital continues to grow acquisitively, and FY12 will be boosted by the numerous acquisitions it has undertaken during 2010 and 2011 (see Digital Barriers acquisition: all part of the plan and work back!). However, this contract will significantly boost the organic growth picture. We’re sure Digital Barriers would love to announce a similar size deal on the international markets (see Digital breaks down international Barriers) but in the meantime, Group MD Colin Evans is keen to highlight “the strength of our position here (the UK) continues to act as a compelling platform from which to target a wide range of exciting international growth markets”.
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Articles tagged: publicsector
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Thursday 2nd February 2012
Digital Barriers announces significant UK deal
Posted by Georgina O'Toole at 09:26 - 0 comments -
Tuesday 31st January 2012
Unit4 acquires Irish partner from Better Capital
Netherlands-headquartered ERP provider Unit4 Business Software has snapped up MentecPlus Integrated Solutions, a company within the BECAP Fund LP investment portfolio of Jon Moulton’s Better Capital, for an undisclosed sum. MentecPlus was acquired by Better Capital as part of the Calyx Group in September 2010 (see Moulton buys Calyx). It represented about 10% of Calyx Group turnover and was budgeted to turn over Eur4.8m in 2012.For Better Capital and Calyx the disposal makes sense, and indeed was apparently planned soon after the acquisition of Calyx. According to the announcement, the aim is to allow the newly re-branded m-hance (see Mid-market debutante m-hance) to focus on its target vertical markets and “provide funds to support business development and acquisition strategies”. Indeed, in December, m-hance announced that it had hired sector specialist Amanda Grant to its senior management team as market development director, tasked with developing new products and expanding its “vertically focused IP”. It is focusing on non-profit organisations, education, financial services and hospitality and leisure.
Meanwhile, Unit4 makes an important strategic addition to its public sector business. The two companies already had a long-established relationship. MentecPlus is the authorised distributor in Ireland for Unit4’s Agresso Business World (ABW) software, and is a “leading provider of business software solutions to both SMEs and Public Sectors in the Republic and Northern Ireland”. Through MentecPlus Agresso has been implemented in numerous public sector and commercial organisations in the region. MentecPlus has also collaborated with Unit4 on projects internationally. We'd imagine the relationship with MentecPlus had been complicated by Calyx's integration into the Better Capital portfolio. As such, the deal makes perfect sense all round.
Posted by Georgina O'Toole at 21:59 - 0 comments -
Tuesday 31st January 2012
TechMarketView Local Government Dinner Debate
A big thank you to everyone (including event sponsors, Computacenter and Unit4) who participated in TechMarketView’s UK Local Government Dinner Debate at the end of last week. The evening was a great success. We welcomed top level decision makers from UK local authorities and UK public sector IT suppliers for a stimulating discussion on supplier engagement models in the UK local government IT and business services market. We were fortunate to kick off the evening with some thought-provoking words from three Guest Speakers:- Glyn Evans, currently President of SOCITM, and Corporate Director of Business Change at Birmingham City Council (currently on secondment to Warwick Business School as a Senior Research Associate);
- David Wilde, CIO of Essex County Council since last summer, before that CIO at Westminster Council for three years, and before that CIO of Waltham Forest Council for four years.
- And Sally Howes, from the National Audit Office, who gave us a central government perspective, having been involved in several NAO studies into how UK Government can make the most of ICT.
‘Uncertainty’ was an oft repeated word. Austerity, along with changes in IT and changes in Government policy, are combining to create an environment in which everyone – suppliers and clients alike - knows they will need to work differently going forward. Of that, all participants appeared to agree. However, it was much harder to reach a consensus on what the right approach would be, or indeed whether there is such a thing as the ‘right’ approach. Subscribers of TechMarketView’s PublicSectorViews service will be able to read our analysis of the main discussion points in a forthcoming report. Watch this space!
Posted by Georgina O'Toole at 21:02 - 0 comments
