Cloud Direct, the Bath-based cloud services firm, has continued its rapid expansion by acquiring an IT hosting and infrastructure business that specialises in highly secure networks.
Cloud Direct, which has raised £2.74m from investors to fund its ambitious growth, said taking over of Datel Business Systems would give its customers faster, more secure connectivity between their sites and the hosting platform. 
Cloud Direct’s packaged cloud services provide what it calls “the antidote to traditional IT” – they free-up businesses to compete and grow by driving better business continuity, productivity and infrastructure delivery.
Since its launch 11 years ago by CEO Brett Raynes, the firm has helped 4,000 businesses move to the cloud.
The acquisition of West Sussex-based Datel means Cloud Direct will be able to offer its customers higher level of security through private clouds including its own high-speed private wide area network (PWAN).
The firm said this would be particularly relevant to its customers in regulated industries such as finance, recruitment, legal and healthcare and other high-performance business.
Brett Raynes said: “Datel’s world-class hosting facility and highly resilient private WAN means we can offer additional compliant cloud hosting services to our extensive customer base within regulated industries.
“We’ve been ISO 27001 accredited for some years now so our customers have always had a world-class level of security around their IT, data and system with us.
“However, customers who were reluctant before to move their business 100% to the cloud, can now choose a hosted private cloud – and expect the same levels of excellence.”
He said Datel also brought many years of experience and skills in the highly specialised VMware virtualisation area for desktop and server technologies, networking, and cloud migration.
Datel has partnered with Cloud Direct since 2005, selling its cloud services – mainly HP LiveVault backup and VoIP telephony – to small and medium businesses of between 100 and 150 users.
Managing director David Hopper said: “The quality of people at Cloud Direct has always impressed us, and now we can offer our customers the full spectrum of cloud services – so it’s great news for us and for our customers.”
The acquisition – financial details of which have not been disclosed – forms part of Cloud Direct’s high-growth plan.
The £2.74m investment has come from reputed technology investors including Nigel Wray, Rob Giles and Jamie Brooke, as well as Santander Bank.
