Newcastle-based IT services company Atlas Cloud Limited has announced the acquisition of London firm Challow Design Network Services Limited. This strategic move is set to significantly expand Atlas Cloud’s geographical reach, deepen its specialisation in the legal IT services sector, and enhance its capacity to serve larger clients.
Challow, located near King’s Cross in London, is a niche IT services provider offering a unique, fully managed, and compliance-first IT solution tailored for barristers’ chambers and law firms. This solution ensures that firms and chambers align with the UK Government’s Cyber Essentials scheme, regardless of their operational structure, encompassing partners, employed solicitors/clerks, or self-employed barristers.
The combined entity will leverage Atlas Cloud’s operational engine to broaden the availability of Challow’s all-in-one solution for the legal sector. Additionally, Atlas Cloud’s cyber security division will merge to incorporate Cyber Essentials accreditations and services such as penetration testing under a single umbrella.
Pete Watson, CEO of Atlas Cloud, outlined the strategy behind the acquisition: “We’re delighted to welcome the Challow team to Atlas Cloud, it’s an ideal match. Challow have spent years perfecting a totally unique solution, choosing to refine with their current customer base over pursuing growth. Atlas Cloud has in recent years placed a huge emphasis on developing an operational blueprint that delivers a great service in a scalable way. It’s given us greater capacity, allowed us to tighten SLAs and our customer feedback scores are now consistently world-class. Together, we make the industry’s best-kept secret – eager to disrupt the legal services sector.”
Atlas Cloud, which currently serves clients including prominent firms like Ward Hadaway and Thackray Williams, will integrate Challow’s customer base, including firms such as 7 Bedford Row and Warners Solicitors. This integration is expected to position Atlas Cloud as a leading provider to the legal sector, with its long-standing “security-first” mantra adopted across the entire group.
Andy Fryer, Challow’s former director, who now becomes Operations Director across the new group, added: “From day one of meeting Pete and the team, this has felt like the right thing to do. Now is the right time to combine Challow’s compliance capabilities with Atlas Cloud’s security capabilities and take it to a wider market.”
The acquisition marks a significant milestone two years into Atlas Cloud’s five-year strategy. The business intends to continue investing in both its Newcastle and London locations, with the North becoming a hub for service and cyber security operations, and the South focusing on technology operations.
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