Tyneside IT company Synergi has been sold to managed services provider Brightsolid, part of the DC Thomson group, in an undisclosed deal.
The Gateshead-based provider of artificial intelligence, automation, business applications, cloud security and managed services will continue to trade under its own name. Directors at the 59-strong firm, which operates out of offices at The Watermark development on the banks of the Tyne, say the deal follows previous approaches from would-be buyers.
Synergi was founded in 2013 by businessman Peter Joynson, who was previously a director at leading IT firm TSG and prior to that ran Team Valley-based financial software business Joynson Ltd, which was acquired by TSG. The business has charted growth over recent years and has built up a client base including top names such as Princes, NHS Highland, Arriva, Lothian Buses and Scottish Fire & Rescue Service.
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Following what it called its best year yet in 2024, Synergi launched three new divisions branded Sentri, dealing with protection; Agiliti, dealing with artificial intelligence and cloud, and Unifi, offering Microsoft Dynamics services.
Brightsolid is part of DC Thomson - the media company behind a collection of brands such as the Beano and The Sunday Post, along with marketing agency Fifth Ring and online genealogy service Find My Past. The 25 year-old firm is based out of Dundee with offices in Aberdeen and Manchester, and specialises in managed hybrid cloud and cyber security services, with customers such as Aberdeenshire Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Dundee City Council, Shell, University of Dundee and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
The £10.2m turnover business also employs about 60 people and last year said it had focussed on development of its private cloud service Brightsolid Cloud and invested in ServiceNow, the IT service management platform. Together with higher energy and staff costs, the investment meant the firm reported an operating loss of £1.2m for 2024.
Brightsolid CEO Elaine Maddison said: “Over the past year, Brightsolid has been actively looking for an organisation that can extend our range of services and support our growth plans across the 海角视频. As a highly successful Microsoft Partner, Synergi does all of that, and more. The culture and people are a brilliant fit for Brightsolid and we anticipate growth opportunities for both brands going forwards.”
Synergi co-founder and CEO Peter Joynson said: “Whilst we’ve been approached by buyers previously, we feel that the alignment and cultural fit Brightsolid provides make them a truly perfect match – a great bunch of positive, friendly and very smart people. Brightsolid specialises in cloud, colocation, cyber resilience and business continuity, so there are going to be lots of opportunities for us to work together to grow both companies, helping us meet our ongoing commitments to the business and our combined future success.”