A key service that Onyx will also provide is 24/7 IT support. The 24/7 support provision is a key differentiator for the Group and is one of the reasons that helped it to win the contract. Providing a dual datacentre service was also a fundamental factor in being selected as the geographic diversity of Onyx Group’s network of data centres will add resilience to Edinburgh Airport’s IT infrastructure.
“Securing the contract with Edinburgh Airport, Scotland’s busiest airport, is great news as it is a high profile client in the UK and also our first in the aviation market,” said Neil Stephenson, CEO, Onyx Group. “Scotland has been key to our growth strategy and it remains central to our plans as we continue to expand our Scotland-based clients across a range of industries.”
“Outsourcing IT is becoming increasingly popular as companies across all industries realise the benefits it can provide. It’s cost effective, as there’s no need to worry about having the appropriate expertise and infrastructure in house, it’s secure and resilient so companies can focus on business objectives and not worry about IT and it provides flexibility as outsourced IT services can be scaled up or down to support the changing needs of businesses.”
The deal encapsulates the success Onyx has experienced over the past three years despite the difficult market conditions and poor economy. During this period, the Group has grown strongly through both acquisition and organic means, which have seen its customer base grow to over 2,000 clients. With multiple sites across the UK, Onyx is able to provide support nationally but remains accessible and customer centric by providing support on ‘the doorstep’ from local offices.
Graeme Agnew, Head of IT at Edinburgh Airport, said: “This is an important announcement for Edinburgh Airport and represents the first of a number of major capital investments under new ownership. It is vital for us to have the IT capacity to support business growth, and the ability to implement the best technological solutions and quality of service for our passengers and airlines. We also wanted to place our IT systems in an Edinburgh facility. Onyx allows us to do all this and we’re excited to be working with them as we begin to change and improve technology services across our airport.”
Onyx Group has 10 sites throughout the UK including London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Teesside and Sheffield. This includes five fully owned datacentres and six workplace recovery facilities. Since 2007, turnover has increased from £5.7m to £14.9m in 2011. The firm is expected to reach £20m by the end of 2012. It serves some of the UK’s best known businesses and was recently listed in The Sunday Times Tech Track 100 and The Investec 100 which both monitor the fastest growing technology companies in the UK.