FluidOne makes investment in Marathon

Cloud player FluidOne has made a strategic investment in Microsoft gold partner Marathon Information Technology Services.

Marathon has a pedigree in delivering cloud services management, with the ability to support modern workplaces and security and contact centres.

Two years ago, Marathon underwent a management buy-out (MBO), led by CEO Iain Maclean and chairman Tim Thrower. The latest investment will allow the business to take advantage of a tie-up with FluidOne.

In terms of key personnel, there won’t be much difference, with Maclean continuing as Marathon CEO and Thrower as a non-executive director. FluidOne’s CEO Russell Horton will become chairman of Marathon, with fellow FluidOne directors Brendan Lynch, Chris Rogers and Roy Hastings joining the Marathon board.

FluidOne has captured the headlines before because of its acquisitive stance, and it set the tone on the consolidation front with one of the first deals of the year, picking up SAS Global Communications in January. That deal came on the back of other buys and investments in the past two years, which have put the company in a position where it enjoys revenues in the region of £68m, with 310 staff serving more than 1,350 customers and resellers.

“Through the investment process, we met key members of the Marathon team and referenced their top clients, and have been impressed with their expertise, values and the outstanding level of service they deliver. Marathon’s strength lies in the design and transformation of enterprise clients’ IT estates into the cloud and the provision of a quality managed service from first line through to third line,” said Horton.

“The FluidOne board and I saw a great fit to further enhance our Connected Cloud solutions strategy,” he added. “The Marathon team has already been working with FluidOne on joint opportunities and impressed our clients with their level of expertise and professional approach.”

In response, Marathon’s Maclean said the management had worked hard to grow the business and since the MBO had seen revenues improve from £4m to £11m, and it now employs 80 staff.

“We’re proud of what we’ve built at Marathon and it was time for us to take things to the next stage. We saw a great opportunity in FluidOne’s investment to support our ambitious growth plans, allowing us to expand our service offering to our current client base whilst also reaching new customers,” he said. 

“It was important for us to partner with a company that aligned with our own culture and values. Our top priority has always been to deliver a high level of service, which we’ll continue to do for both our current clients and new ones,” Maclean added.