NewsUC&C7 Aug 2020 · 4 min read

£30M Merger Builds Next-Gen Cloud Services Company Kerv

£30m merger creates Kerv, a cloud-first MSP combining UC, contact centre, managed services and compliance for UK mid-market buyers. Published on UC Today.

Rebekah Carter

GBP30M merger creates Kerv cloud services

Consolidation is one of the easiest ways for businesses in the communication and collaboration environment to create a comprehensive, full-stack solution for their customers. In recent years, we’ve seen many acquisitions and mergers that attest to this.

Now, a recent £30 million merger of three well-aligned cloud firms is creating an innovative new solution in cloud services. The new merger brings together DoubleEdge Professional Services, Metaphor IT, and Foehn.

Founder and CEO of the Six Degrees Group, Alastair Mills, is leading the new combined entity, known as Kerv. Kerv is a customer-first, and cloud-focused managed service provider launching in the UK. This dedicated cloud company aims to support mid-market customers in their pursuit of successful outcomes for the digital era.

Introducing Kerv Cloud Services

Leading private equity house for the mid-market, LDC, provided the funding to support the £30 million merger of these three highly complementary brands. DoubleEdge offers a portfolio of UC, voice, mobility, data, and compliance. Metaphor IT provides Cloud Services, Digital Workspaces, and IT Managed Services. Foehn delivers an R&D team, Contact Centre, and Cloud UC.

[caption id="attachment_30709" align="alignright" width="196"] Alastair Mills[/caption]

All through combining companies are currently reaching double-digit growth rates, and the new business will continue to drive further organic growth. Kerv also plans on identifying new complementary acquisitions going forward, with support from LDC follow-on funding.

Kerv arrives on the cloud market with current revenues of around £20 million, and a team of 100 professionals located in offices across Vigo Spain, Greater London, and Central London. The cloud services provider will be committed to delivering outcome-focused solutions to customers.

These solutions will initial feature converged IT managed services, contact centre technology, Unified Communications, security, and compliance applications, and more. Kerv will deliver this portfolio in a way that aims to set a new benchmark for customer experience.

Who is Leading the Way for Kerv?

The leadership team of the newly formed business starts with Alastair Mills as Executive Chairman. Andrew Marshall will be group CFO, while Mike Ing stands as Managing Director. The management team of each of the three combined companies will all stay within the senior team for Kerv.

The proposition of this new company concentrates on finding the solutions that customers need for a more digital-led future. Through partnerships, acquisitions, and organic growth, Kerv will establish itself as a differentiated IT partner with a long-term value proposition.

Kerv’s leadership team believe that a cloud and customer-first approach will be the key to success in this new environment. An in-house development team in Spain will integrate third-party and proprietary cloud applications with an immersive interface for end-users. Simplicity and accessibility will be at the heart of these tools.

Executive Chairman, Alastair Mills, said that today’s consumers want to access a wider collection of integrated solutions from trusted partners as they move to the cloud. Kerv’s business plan ensures that the company will never lose sight of its customer-first strategy.

Underpinning that strategy is a multi-million investment into future growth. Kerv is currently developing a next-gen cloud operating platform that makes it quicker and easier to deliver an extensive range of future-proof services to customers. The platform will be a key component in providing the best customer experience around.

Changing the Cloud Landscape

[caption id="attachment_30710" align="alignright" width="195"] Mike Ing[/caption]

According to Alastair Mills, the aim of Kerv isn’t to chase short-term profits with aggressive cost-cutting practices. With LDC support, Kerv wants to invest in great companies that help to accelerate organic growth. In a tech market that continues to experience rapid consolidation, Kerv believes it’s important to have the right focus.

The Managing Director of Kerv, Mike Ing said that since the team created a CX-focused investment plan at the end of 2019, the industry has seen a massive change towards cloud-based working. The increasing availability of cloud-based applications means that IT managed service providers shouldn’t have to be asset heavy. The Kerv cloud-first and customer-first business will help the UK to navigate a new way of working in the transformative landscape.

Kerv believes in helping all businesses in the UK to discover the benefits of an agile and technology-led environment – particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. The transaction that allowed for the merger of the three companies received guidance from the Head of LDC (London), Yann Souillard.

Yann said that the company had been working with Mike and Alastair for some time and are excited about the growth potential that Kerv has to offer. The combination of cloud and customer focused solutions puts the business in great standing to emerge as an industry leader.

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