FluidOne is making a “strategic investment” in the Microsoft MSP Marathon

FluidOne has made a “strategic investment” in Microsoft Gold Partner Marathon Information Technology Services.

Based at Surrey, Microsoft, VMware, Veeam and Dell, partner Marathon has 80 employees and revenues of £ 11 million.

It was founded in 2010 by Paul Hepburn, but was acquired by former OCSL CEOs Ian McLean and Tim Trower in 2020, with Hepburn retaining a 20% stake in the business and remaining as CTO.

The company claims to specialize in cloud transformation, a modern workplace, security and a contact center for mid-market customers and businesses.

The company was rebranded from Marathon Professional Services to Marathon Managed Services in 2021, which McLean says better reflects the nature of its business today, with 60 to 65% of its business coming from managed services.

Marathon claims to have increased its revenue from £ 4 million to £ 11 million and has doubled its staff since Maclean and Thrower joined the business.

As part of the investment, FluidOne CEO Russell Horton will chair the Marathon, while FluidOne directors Brendan Lynch, Chris Rodgers and Roy Hastings will also join the Marathon board.

Maclean will continue to lead Marathon as CEO, while Thrower will become non-CEO.

The investment was supported by FluidOne Livingbridge and HSBC supporters, with HSBC upgrading its base to provide funding for additional acquisitions over the next three years.

The deal will mean that Marathon can expand its offering to its customers, while FluidOne will benefit from new services for its customers with more than 200 employees.

FluidOne previously acquired a number of businesses in the UK, including SD-WAN provider SAS Global Communications last December, PSU Business Technology in October 2020 and cybersecurity firm Cyber ​​Security Associates in November 2020.

Marathon made its own acquisitions, acquiring West Sussex firm William Jarrod Partnership last October.

The company claims revenue of £ 68 million and 310 employees, serving more than 1,350 customers and retailers.

“With the FluidOne board, we saw it as a great way to further improve our cloud solutions strategy. Investing in Marathon, supporting Ian and his team, allows us to complete the IT element of our portfolio of connected cloud solutions, along with market-leading connectivity, mobile, UCaaS and cybersecurity. When combined with our IT capabilities from the acquisition of PSU and SAS Global, we are now able to serve our entire customer base, including our largest multinational customers, “Horton said.

“We are proud of what we created in the Marathon, and it was time to move on to the next stage. “We saw a great opportunity in FluidOne’s investment to support our ambitious growth plans, which allows us to expand our services to our current customer base while reaching new customers,” McLean added.

“It was important for us to partner with a company that is in line with our own culture and values. Our main priority has always been to provide a high level of service, which we will continue to do for both our current and new customers. “