UK public sector technology provider UKCloud has been acquired by Hadston 2 Limited, an investment vehicle led by UKCloud chairman, Jeff Thomas. It is backed by existing institutional investors including BGF Group plc and Digital Alpha.
UKCloud says new investment will fund the expansion of its product portfolio via “soon to be announced strategic partnerships, the accelerated development of its platform, and provide sustainable high skill, high wage jobs.”
Hadston 2 says it is to build a group of companies “leading innovation in the ethical and sustainable use of data and digital infrastructure.”
The acquisition, which is subject to the National Security Investment Act, includes UKCloud’s digital footprint and sovereign offering – including multiple cloud technologies spanning six UK datacentres and supporting multiple security classification levels.
“UKCloud has long been a market leader in the delivery of sovereign, secure cloud technologies to public sector organisations spanning government, health and defence – and today marks the beginning of a new, ambitious strategic vision,” said Jeff Thomas, chairman, Hadston 2 Limited.
“The funding provides a strong foundation on which to assemble a portfolio of innovative businesses promoting the ethical and sustainable use of data to drive positive change in our communities and economy. Organisations and governments increasingly share a belief in these crucial outcomes and I am deeply excited to unveil more information about our growth plans and new direction in the very near future.”
Recruitment and further acquisitions
“As a strategic cloud provider to government, UKCloud has powered digital transformation across the UK public sector for over a decade,” said Simon Hansford, CEO, UKCloud.
“This investment is a significant milestone for UKCloud, funding the business through to profitability and accelerating the development of industry leading capabilities to help organisations of all sizes embrace the obvious benefits of cloud and digital transformation.”
The company says the funding will be used to accelerate the growth of the UKCloudX and UKCloud Health brands, expanding the company’s expertise and capabilities in the defence and healthcare sectors.
As part of this growth, the company has kicked off a recruitment drive to fill a range of new positions.
Further, Hadston 2 plans to build on the acquisition with further potential purchases and geographic expansion to assist nations which that require sovereign cloud technologies.
