IT company Arkphire has acquired CloudStrong, a specialist cloud solutions provider based in Castlebar, Co Mayo.

Founded in 2011 by Oliver Surdival, CloudStrong employs 12 people and provides cloud consultancy services and solutions to SMEs.  The company received startup equity funding from Enterprise Ireland and has been a client in EI’s High Potential Startup unit.

Cloud Strong Ltd booked a loss of €28,000 in 2017, bring accumulated losses to €455,000 on the back of €540,000 equity invested. Year-end creditors amounted to €165,000 and current assets were €233,000. The business had eight people on the payroll in 2017.

Arkphire, based in Sandyford, Co Dublin, employs more than 90 people, providing a range of IT services from procurement through to managed services, networking and the data centre. The acquisition will add specialist cloud consultancy support and expertise to support clients looking at cloud-based solutions.

In October, Arkphire received financing from Bregal Milestone, a private capital firm managing a €400m European fund dedicated to investing in high-growth companies. The cash injection is earmarked for further growth, both organic and through merger and acquisition activity.

In Association with

Chief executive Paschal Naylor said: “Arkphire and CloudStrong have a very effective working relationship going back many years. The acquisition formalises this and strengthens Arkphire’s overall cloud services offering, enabling us to bring our complementary skills and capabilities to the market.  

“I am very confident and looking forward to building out a really effective cloud technology team from our new hub in the West, and providing new career opportunities for people wanting to live in the region.”

CloudStrong chief executive Oliver Surdival added: “Our expert knowledge and experience of cloud solutions and data analytics fits very well and complements the overall Arkphire offering.  We are very excited to now become part of the Arkphire Group and to leverage the synergies we have to support our real growth potential.  It’s a fantastic day for Mayo and cements the region as a great location to operate and grow a business.”

CloudStrong  has achieved Gold Cloud Solutions and Microsoft certifications. Its customers include companies such as TG4, Portwest, Boston Scientific and Topflight.

Arkphire’s customers number large multinationals, leading Irish organisations and public sector agencies over a range of industries including telecommunications, internet-based businesses, finance, healthcare and energy.

Photo: Paschal Naylor (left) and Oliver Surdival. (Pix: Peter Houlihan)