Welltel acquires IT service provider Novi in €3m deal

Communications provider Welltel has confirmed the acquisition of Kildare-based IT service provider Novi in a €3 million deal that will see the Dublin company grow to 115 employees.

The acquisition gives Welltel the ability to offer a full integrated suite of managed IT services, remote working, phone systems, unified communications and secure connectivity to its customers, expanding and enhancing its cyber security and managed service offering.

Secure IT and cloud service provider Novi specialises in managed security services and has a number of high-profile Irish customers including Irish Funds, the Mater hospital, O'Brien's Fine Foods and Expert Electrical. It currently employs 15 people.

Novi has a number of several security services and products, including Novi PatchGuard, Novi AirGap and Novi CyberView, and offers proactive risk management for Irish businesses as the complexity of IT environments and potential risks continues to grow.

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The acquisition will allow Novi customers to access Welltel's managed business communications suite, including telephony services for Microsoft Teams, business broadband and SD WAN services.

"The Welltel and Novi teams share a very similar vision of enabling growth for businesses which made this acquisition a natural fit," said Ross Murray, chief executive of Welltel.

“We were deeply impressed with the strength of Novi’s client base and recurring revenue growth, as well as its proactive approach. Novi’s consistent revenue growth is founded on its ability to acquire and retain high-profile customers.”

Standalone brand

Welltel plans to retain the Novi brand as a standalone brand, allowing it to operate as a separate entity but with support systems integrated.

This is the second acquisition for Welltel, which bought ICT provider Invisitech earlier this year.

“We’re excited to leverage the synergies between our two brands to provide mid-sized Irish businesses with a unique combination of managed IT, security and communications expertise,” said George O’Dowd, managing director of Novi.

“Simplicity will be the new watchword as customers can benefit from a single provider for IT and communications. Our united offering gives us a unique ability to facilitate today’s flexible working needs and make it easy for customers to manage their ICT. This is a critical capability as mid-sized businesses move away from traditional phone and IT systems and networks to offer the true mobility demanded by today’s employees.”

Novi has also developed a suite of services for secure remote working for businesses, which complements Welltel’s expertise in integrated telephony for Microsoft Teams as part of its remote worker bundle.