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Ahead expands across Europe with acquisition and senior hire
Firm invests in more facilities and expertise, and seals deal to expand reach across the continent
Artificial intelligence (AI), cloud and security player Ahead has sealed an acquisition and made a senior hire as the firm looks to bolster its position across Europe.
The firm has picked up Dutch player Prolimax, appointed Paul Allen as executive vice-president of sales for EMEA, and cut the ribbon on a Foundry facility outside London. Ahead indicated it had plans for a technology centre of excellence to be opened in India.
The addition of Prolimax bolsters the firm’s strategy to develop more of a presence in Europe, and provides expertise to navigate across the regulatory framework of the European Union.
The two companies have worked together for a number of years through Ahead’s Foundry programme, and the plan is for the business to fully integrate and quickly build on that existing relationship. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The appointment of Allen is seen as a pivotal move in the efforts to expand the European business. The former World Wide Technology executive has a CV that stretches over more than two decades, and also includes time at Dell and Dimension Data.
“Bringing Paul on-board is one of the most important steps in Ahead’s international growth strategy,” said Ahead executive vice-chairman Stephen Ayoub.
“He has the relationships, the regional expertise and the proven track record to establish Ahead as a trusted enterprise technology partner across EMEA – all at the pace and precision our clients expect from us.”
In-demand technology
Allen will be responsible for driving the firm’s growth strategy across Europe, and said the business was offering in-demand technology that had wide appeal across EMEA.
"With our UK and European buildout, we can ensure that those clients - and the UK and EU based multinational businesses that come on board as we expand - have a dedicated presence in the region to serve them wherever they operate. We established our IT services and support operations in India 2023. This has now been bolstered by the Prolimax acquisition in the Netherlands, which provides us with a launchpad into the European markets. It allows us to work with a trusted team that we’ve partnered with for several years through our Foundry programme. Who provide the delivery capabilities, European supplier relationships, and regulatory infrastructure required to operate across the region immediately," he said.
"We’ve added to the UK and EMEA leadership team, but crucially the Foundry facility in the UK will be open for business shortly. We’re moving toward this point in a controlled ramp. As such, we’re currently running select large deals through the UK facility to validate its readiness in its current stage as a part of its ramp to full opening. The new facility will help customers in the region to manage their infrastructure more effectively. AHEAD Foundry industrializes the build, configuration and testing of complex AI, high-performance computing, and edge infrastructure. It’s going to help us to scale operations, expand our footprint, and deliver the speed and integrated capability enterprises increasingly need as AI infrastructure investment accelerates," he added.
The firm also indicated it will open a Foundry facility in Reading later this year, providing an opportunity for customers to design, build and deploy AI solutions.
Ahead has developed its own lifecycle management platform, Hatch, which provides a single view of assets across all geographies to help increase visibility for customers.
Daniel Adamany, CEO of Ahead, said the moves were part of a wider strategy to expand globally and deliver the support its multinational customers had been looking for.
“Our clients are global, and their infrastructure and AI needs don’t stop at the US border,” he said. “This expansion is about meeting clients where they already operate, with the same capabilities, the same standards, and the same accountability they expect from us at home. We are building this the right way, with real operational capability, a trusted local team, and leadership who have done this before.”
Analytics database platform buy
Elsewhere, Rocket Software has completed its acquisition of analytics database platform player Vertica, adding more than 600 global customers and 170 staff.
The deal is part of Rocket’s strategy to get in front of more customers and tap into the growing demand for AI, data and analytics tools.
“With Vertica, Rocket is advancing the next phase of modernisation by enabling customers to unlock the power of their enterprise data,” said Milan Shetti, president and CEO of Rocket Software. “Together, we can deliver a truly end-to-end modernisation experience from mission-critical systems to advanced analytics and AI, while maintaining stability, performance and trust.”
