http://www.iomart.com/

The Group's principal activity is providing web based managed hosting services for both the consumer and business.

Originally founded in 1998 as an integrated internet and telecommunications company, the Group has evolved to become one of Europe’s largest providers of managed hosting, colocation, data centre, and business continuity services, serving over 300, 000 customers each day. Having been at the forefront of the UK’s technological revolution for the past decade the Group has developed an enviable reputation for its internet expertise, its service ethic and its product innovation.

The Group holds a unique position within the marketplace. By owning its own data centre and network infrastructure, it is able to deliver the complete set of vertical components in the hosting arena from domain names, virtual web space, security, web marketing, SEO, websites, dedicated servers through to complex managed hosting solutions, colocation space, power, cooling and bandwidth.

As more and more mission critical business applications move on to the web, so organisations need more resilience, security and 24 hour management; the market for managed hosting services and datacentre capacity is expected to grow significantly over the next few years.Described by US Analyst Tier 1 as "currently enjoying the sort of momentum that could soon place it on the list of European heavyweights.", the iomart Group is fast proving to be one of the UK's leading lights in the provision of true cloud computing services.

The market has taken a shine to Iomart lately. In the last three months, shares in the data-hosting firm are up 27.3%.

This follows a strong set of final results announced in May. Iomart reported a 33% advance in revenues, a 96% increase in eps and a dividend hike of 38%. At the time, Iomart's chief executive, Angus MacSween, described data hosting as an industry that is still in its infancy. Mr MacSween expects the sector to grow significantly in the future and for Iomart to thrive in that growth.

With more services moving into 'the cloud' and data consumption ever increasing, it is hard to argue with Mr MacSween. The Iomart share price suggests that the investor community agrees. As with many smaller companies, Iomart shares could step back significantly in a broader market decline. Such an outcome could present canny investors with an opportunity to buy a company with fantastic prospects at a reasonable price.

Trading Update
RNS
RNS Number : 2675N
Iomart Group PLC
27 September 2012



27 September 2012

Embargoed until: 0700hrs



iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Company" or the "Group")

Pre-Close trading update and Notice of Results



iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, today issues a pre-close trading update ahead of the announcement of the half yearly results for the six months to 30 September 2012.



Group trading performance



The Group has performed strongly with revenues and profits substantially ahead of the comparative period last year and consequently the Board is confident that the financial performance of the Group for the full year will be ahead of current consensus market expectations.



The focus of the business continues to be on the provision of high quality and high margin managed solutions to SMEs and corporate clients. These contracts are typically for two to three years in length underpinning the Company's very high degree of visibility of its earnings for the coming year. Furthermore, clients are increasingly staying with iomart on contract renewal, underscoring the Company's established reputation as a market leader.



The acquisitions of Melbourne and Skymarket announced last month are being integrated successfully into the business and are expected to complement the Group's strong organic earnings growth. In particular, the Melbourne business extends the UK coverage of the Company into the North of England.



Outlook



We believe cloud computing will continue to be critical to all companies over the next few years, as corporate budgets continue to support online strategies, and the move to a hosting environment which delivers significant cost savings and flexibility becomes more compelling. The market potential remains substantial as it is estimated that while there has been a strong increase in hosted services in recent years, approximately 85% of all servers are still located at a company's own premises.



We will continue to pursue further opportunities for acquisitions of quality, high margin businesses which make a contribution to Group profits.



Notice of Results



The Group expects to report its half yearly results for the six months ended 30 September 2012 on 27 November 2012.



Angus MacSween, Chief Executive of iomart, said:



"We are delighted with the continued progress of the business. The recent acquisitions are performing in line with our expectations. We are into our fifth year of double digit growth and the demand for our services remains robust as businesses increasingly see the value of outsourced cloud services."

Looks good DC.

Thanks skinny, send me the bill for your updates. lol. Cant keep up, to many

news going down well.

Iomart Group (LSE: IOM.L - news) was a nice early riser, with a 12.5p (7.7%) jump to 175p, on the release of its pre-close statement ahead of interim results. Revenues and profits at the cloud computing operator are "substantially ahead of the comparative period last year", and the company is confident that it will beat current forecasts.

Is cloud computing a new trend that is likely to be profitable for growth investors? It's certainly been good for Iomart investors so far, who have seen a six-fold rise since 2009.

By DOMINIC JEFF
Published on Thursday 27 September 2012 22:27


SHARES in website-hosting firm Iomart leapt by as much as 13 per cent on Thursday after it said revenues and profits were “substantially ahead” of last year.


In a pre-close trading update before its half-year results, the Glasgow-based firm said it was confident its financial performance for the full year would be ahead of market expectations.

Iomart, which is run by chief executive Angus MacSween, said the two businesses it acquired last month, Melbourne and Skymarket, were being integrated successfully and would soon be contributing to profits.

The firm added: “We will continue to pursue further opportunities for acquisitions of quality, high-margin businesses that make a contribution to profits.”

In addition, the company’s clients – typically small and medium-sized firms – are increasingly staying with Iomart when contracts came up for renewal.

The firm said: “Cloud computing will continue to be critical to all companies over the next few years, as corporate budgets continue to support online strategies, and the move to a hosting environment which delivers significant cost savings and flexibility becomes more compelling.

“The market potential remains substantial as it is estimated that, while there has been a strong increase in hosted services in recent years, approximately 85 per cent of all servers are still located at a company’s own premises.”

Canaccord Genuity analyst Jonathan Imlah described Iomart as “unstoppable”, adding: “This performance is especially impressive given a relatively-slow August as a result of the distraction of the Olympics.”

Very big purchasing today.

Couple of big sells today , surprised at the rise

Long on IOM . Looking to go for a second stab at getting over 200p resistance and round figure.

BBC TV's Dragons' Den winners park online business with iomart Hosting


http://it.tmcnet.com/news/2012/10/03/6624079.htm

IOM IOMART

Brokers certainly like this one and
looking at its historical P/E compared
to forward P/E you can see it has much
futher to run.

Forward P/E being just 20.2 compared to
historical P/E norm of 31.4

CHEAP imo....

Iomart Group PLC

FORECASTS 2013 2014
Date Rec Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p) Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p)

Peel Hunt [A]
03-10-12 BUY 10.40 7.67 1.20 12.80 9.48 1.50
Daniel Stewart
01-10-12 UREV
Singer Capital Markets Ltd [A]
28-09-12 BUY 9.90 7.20 1.10 12.60 9.10 1.30
Milkstone Ltd [A]
28-09-12 BUY 10.00 7.50 1.20 12.60 9.50 1.50
FinnCap
27-09-12 BUY 10.50 7.80 1.20 12.90 9.60 1.50
Canaccord Genuity Ltd
27-09-12 BUY 10.30 8.00 1.13 13.00 10.10 1.35
Nomura Code [A]
28-08-12 BUY 9.70 7.40 1.00 12.70 9.70 1.50

2013 2014
Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p) Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p)

Consensus 10.40 7.90 1.16 12.95 9.85 1.42
1 Month Change 0.50 0.49 0.04 0.40 0.46 0.03
3 Month Change 1.04 0.48 0.02 1.62 1.32 0.08

Notes to forecasts
(27 Sep 2012) A flag refers to outlook


GROWTH
2012 (A) 2013 (E) 2014 (E)
Norm. EPS 108.79% 24.29% 24.68%
DPS 62.50% 79.23% 22.32%

INVESTMENT RATIOS
2012 (A) 2013 (E) 2014 (E)

EBITDA £11.08m £15.95m £19.50m
EBIT £6.33m £9.00m £11.90m
Dividend Yield 0.32% 0.58% 0.71%
Dividend Cover 9.78x 6.78x 6.91x
PER 31.43x 25.28x 20.28x
PEG 0.29f 1.04f 0.82f
Net Asset Value PS 13.82p p p

Turned positive having another
crack at the 200p sp resistance.

IOM IOMART GROUP

What makes the iomart Group different?

The managed services market is experiencing growth. Cloud and hosting markets are poised to get very big. At $20.3 billion in 2009 cloud hosting/computing markets are anticipated to reach $100.4 billion by 2016. Applications and infrastructure markets are coming together to make information technology delivery a utility, with on demand systems able to scale to meet the needs of users with those users paying for the flexible capacity they use.

Virtualisation, for example, offers the potential for reducing overall IT footprint but its successful implementation requires skill sets and operational management that are not easily found.

Angus MacSween, CEO iomart Group, states: "From a supplier viewpoint, the market is increasingly seeking a collaborative/partner model rather than the traditional 'cookie cutter' approach. If a customer is effectively placing its entire core business in the hands of a third party they will demand more than a standard template service agreement."

"Trust will become the vital USP for any managed and cloud hosting provider, and that provider will be expected to demonstrate core and proven competencies in the hosting market."

"A complete 'one source' managed hosting service is very different to what's on offer from other data centre facility (space and power only) and hosting providers (lease their data centre space from third parties) which places iomart in a very strong position in the market."

The iomart Group is well placed to capitalise in this growing market as it is unique amongst smaller niche managed hosting companies in that it combines over a decade's worth of hosting experience with its own data centre and network infrastructure, employs its own dedicated technical and development staff, and is therefore able to deliver and manage the complete set of vertical components in the hosting arena from domain names to cloud computing via a range of premium brands. In other words, the iomart Group can offer its clients total accountability and assurance.

The Group is proud to stand behind its pledge of delivering 100% business uptime to its customers, a pledge that it can offer because it owns and manages the entire customer experience. For all of us working within the Group it is more than a marketing slogan, it is at the heart of everything we do.

Full deck of BUY recommendations

Forward P/E of 20 to 2014
but this is ground breaking new Tech.....

Iomart Group PLC

FORECASTS WIRES 2013 2014
Date Rec Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p) Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p)

Peel Hunt [A]
12-10-12 BUY 10.40 7.67 1.20 12.80 9.48 1.50
Milkstone Ltd [A]
05-10-12 BUY 10.00 7.50 1.20 12.60 9.50 1.50
N+1 Singer [A]
04-10-12 BUY 9.90 7.20 1.10 12.60 9.10 1.30
Daniel Stewart
01-10-12 UREV
FinnCap
27-09-12 BUY 10.50 7.80 1.20 12.90 9.60 1.50
Canaccord Genuity Ltd
27-09-12 BUY 10.30 8.00 1.13 13.00 10.10 1.35
Nomura Code [A]
28-08-12 BUY 9.70 7.40 1.00 12.70 9.70 1.50

2013 2014
Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p) Pre-tax (£) EPS (p) DPS (p)

Consensus 10.40 7.90 1.16 12.95 9.85 1.42
1 Month Change 0.50 0.49 0.04 0.40 0.46 0.03
3 Month Change 1.00 0.58 0.02 1.60 1.31 0.05

Notes to forecasts
(27 Sep 2012) A flag refers to outlook


GROWTH
2012 (A) 2013 (E) 2014 (E)
Norm. EPS 108.79% 24.29% 24.68%
DPS 62.50% 79.23% 22.32%

INVESTMENT RATIOS
2012 (A) 2013 (E) 2014 (E)

EBITDA £11.08m £15.95m £19.50m
EBIT £6.33m £9.00m £11.90m
Dividend Yield 0.32% 0.57% 0.70%
Dividend Cover 9.78x 6.78x 6.91x
PER 32.10x 25.82x 20.71x
PEG 0.30f 1.06f 0.84f
Net Asset Value PS 13.82p p p

Affirming their commitment to growth.....
iomart Group Makes Multi-million Pound Investment in Data Centre Fibre Network

http://www.sys-con.com/node/2405327

..."Angus MacSween added: "This will significantly increase our current capacity and national reach, ensuring that we can provide customers with unlimited bandwidth and greater reliability and security, increasing their capability and potential to grow."...

Oh, and it is worth watching the video (link provided in the article):

http://youtu.be/ursRK7XGGBk

Published on Wednesday 17 October 2012 10:29


Iomart, the Glasgow-based website hosting company, is investing millions of pounds in a new optical fibre network to provide its customers with faster connectivity.


The firm has entered into a ten year agreement with Geo Networks to deliver high capacity fibre connectivity into its six UK data centre locations.

The new 1,860 kilometre fibre network means that Iomart will no longer rely on routing customers’ connectivity via multiple providers, giving it total control over its own network.

Chief executive Angus MacSween said: “We are investing millions of pounds over the next decade to give Iomart one of the fastest and most resilient fibre networks of any cloud computing company in the UK.

“It allows us to take our network right up to our customers’ doors which is of huge benefit to organisations wanting secure, private cloud environments.”

The new system will make connectivity between Iomart’s Glasgow and London data centres four times faster than the current industry average.

The group did not put a precise figure on the contract

See iomart is in this weeks IC under five red hot momentum shares.

iomart Group FD chosen as one of Top 20 FDs

08/11/12



Richard Logan makes BDO Hot 20

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM) finance director Richard Logan has been chosen as one of the top 20 FDs working in the TMT (Technology, Media and Telecommunications) sector.

He was the only Scottish FD honoured in the inaugural BDO Hot 20 FDs in TMT awards, which saw FDs and CFOs nominated across the country by CEO’s, banks, lawyers, private equity houses and media influencers. The Hot 20 was decided by a judging panel of partners from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO, Sara White of Accountancy magazine and Christian Young of Smedvig Capital.
The report by BDO praises Richard Logan’s six year tenure at iomart Group plc as “outstanding” and describes him as being “instrumental in delivering exceptional growth.”

Neil McGill at accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP in Glasgow, said: “Our search to find the TMT sector’s elite revealed many inspiring FDs. To be named in the top 20 is a real accolade.

“Like iomart’s Richard Logan, the very best have a distinct role in shaping a company’s strategy. They are a far cry from being ‘yes men’ to CEO’s or investors. Their financial acumen and ability to know when to take a risk, combined with their overriding passion for their sector and desire for their companies to succeed, makes them some of the most impressive business leaders around.”

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, commented: “Richard’s astute financial judgement and his understanding of the technology sector has been a major factor in iomart’s successful strategy of acquisitive and organic growth. He thoroughly deserves this recognition.”

A buy in this weeks Shares mag - They seem to think the shares will be driven right through 2013 due to the £209 million caps impressive forward sales model means around 95% of its currency anticipated £42.6 million of revenue, for the full year to end March 2013, is already pre-booked. This lends significant scope for upgrades to forecasts. Analysts at Canaccord predict revenues to hit £49.4 million next year to end March 2014, rising to £54.3 million by March 2015, for earnings per share (EPS)
of 10.1p and 12.0p respectively. That equates to a price/earnings (PE) multiple of 19.8, ,falling to 16.5, barely above the software sector average15.3. With return on sales of close on 67% and value still to be extracted from last years acquisitions, EPS could reach 14.0p for March 2015. A forward price/earnings ratio of 22, could see Iomart sailing past 300p mark within a year perhaps sooner.

Good 3% rise on not a good trade day, pushed back up above the £2. See the naked trader is keeping hold of his. (Shares) Before I get a comment. :-))

Melbourne Server Hosting welcomes the world with Google Street View
Melbourne Server Hosting is part of iomart Group plc, one of the UK’s leading cloud computing companies, which recently announced a multi-million pound investment in a new super-fast fibre network to provide even greater connectivity to its customers.

22/11/12


http://www.iomart.com/news/221112

Buy in this weeks shares mag - forecasts could be raised in the coming months, reducing the PE or more likely taking the share price higher, with 300p quite possible.

Iomart Group: Canaccord raises target price from 200p to 248p, buy recommendation maintained.

27 November 2012

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Half Yearly ResultsFINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Revenue growth of 29% to £19.9m (H1 2012: £15.4m)



· Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 51% to £7.6m (H1 2012: £5.0m)



· Adjusted profit before tax growth2 of 66% to £4.9m (H1 2012: £3.0m)



· Adjusted basic earnings per share3 from operations increased by 32% to 3.61p (H1 2012: 2.74p)



· Cashflow from operations increased by 54% to £6.4m (H1 2012: £4.1m)





OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Acquisition of Melbourne Server Hosting Limited for a total consideration of £6.7m



· Acquisition of Skymarket Limited for a maximum consideration of £1.4m



· Acquisition of Internet Engineering Limited for a maximum consideration of £1.5m post period end



· Deployment of resilient UK fibre network across all datacentres



· Additional 16,000 sq ft of space acquired to increase datacentre estate





http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4491947

Great set of results

Brilliant results.

IOM IOMART

RESEARCH ALERT-Iomart: Canaccord Genuity raises price target26 Nov 2012 - 05:41

Nov 26 (Reuters) - iomart group PLC : * Canaccord Genuity raises price target to 248p from 200p; rating buy For a summary of rating actions and price target changes on European companies: Reuters Eikon users, click on [RCH/EUROPE] Reuters 3000Xtra users, double-click [RCH/EUROPE] Reuters Station users, click .1580 ((Bangalore Newsroom +91 80 4135 5800; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780))

In a nutshell........

iomart adjusted earnings up 51%
StockMarketWire.com
Revenues at cloud computing company iomart Group rose by 29% to £19.9m in the six months to the end of September.

Adjusted pre-tax profits were up 66% at £4.9m and adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose by 51% to £7.6m.

Chief executive Angus MacSween said: "This has been another excellent trading period for iomart, delivering substantial growth both organically and through successful acquisitions.

"Trading in the second half of the year has begun well as the trend to outsource more and more services and infrastructure into the cloud accelerates.

"We continue to invest in our skills, product sets and infrastructure to deliver an increasing range and depth of cloud services and expect to continue the growth we have recently enjoyed. We therefore look forward with confidence."

At 9:02am: (LON:IOM) Iomart share price was +2.5p at 205p


Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

Angus MacSween, CEO commented,



"This has been another excellent trading period for iomart, delivering substantial growth both organically and through successful acquisitions. Trading in the second half of the year has begun well as the trend to outsource more and more services and infrastructure into the cloud accelerates. We continue to invest in our skills, product sets and infrastructure to deliver an increasing range and depth of cloud services and expect to continue the growth we have recently enjoyed. We therefore look forward with confidence."

IOM IOMART


Here we go first of the upgrades....

RESEARCH ALERT-iomart: Finncap raises price target27 Nov 2012 - 09:23

Nov 27 (Reuters) - iomart group PLC : * Finncap raises price target to 240p from 200p For a summary of rating actions and price target changes on European companies: Reuters Eikon users, click on [RCH/EUROPE] Reuters 3000Xtra users, double-click [RCH/EUROPE] Reuters Station users, click .1580 ((Bangalore Newsroom +91 80 4135 5800; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780))

Someone take the handbrake off. :-))

Come on gf your not trying enough. lol

Here we go...............

27 Nov Iomart Group PLC IOM Finncap Buy 204.63 202.50 200.00 240.00 Reiterates

SP TARGET 240p.

And another one...more to come........

27 Nov Iomart Group PLC IOM N+1 Singer Buy 204.63 202.50 - 230.00 Reiterates

SP Target 230p.

Group Information 2012

http://www.iomart.com/pdf/about_iomart_group.pdf

A hold in this weeks IC. Broker FinnCap forecasts full year adjusted pre-tax profits of £10.6m and EPS of 7.8p, rising to £13m and 9.7p, respectively the year after (from £6.9m and 6.4p in 2012). Growth by acquisition means the company is in a sweet spot. However, with the shares rated on a forward PE ratio of 26, good news is already priced in.

iomart Group plc named as one of Fastest Growing Technology Companies on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA 2012

Posted on December 3, 2012


Attributes its 312 % Percent Revenue Growth to Increased Outsourcing to the Cloud

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), has announced that it has been ranked 455 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA 2012, a ranking of the 500 fastest growing technology companies in EMEA. Rankings are based on percentage revenue growth over five years.

iomart Group plc grew 312 percent during this period. iomart Group plc’s CEO, Angus MacSween, credits the growing trend for organisations to outsource their IT and iomart’s continued investment in its data centre network with the company’s revenue growth over the past five years.

He said, “We are delighted to have been named in the Technology Fast 500. It’s a reflection of the fact that more and more organisations are choosing iomart to design, deliver and deploy their IT infrastructure. We have just invested in a new high speed fibre optic network to deliver the most secure and scalable hosting, and believe we have the right strategy in place to continue to benefit from the move to the Cloud.”

Several iomart Group customers including Maxymiser, the global expert in multivariate testing and global travel search site Skyscanner, also feature in this year’s Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA list.

“iomart Group plc and the other 2012 Technology Fast 500 winners forged ahead in a challenging economic environment to realize exceptional growth,” said David Halstead, Deloitte United Kingdom and partner in charge of the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA programme.” We commend iomart Group for this impressive accomplishment.”

Melbourne Server Hosting shortlisted for Manchester Business Awards

Posted on December 17, 2012


iomart Group server hosting company up for Digital and Social Media awards

Melbourne Server Hosting, which is part of iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), has been shortlisted for two prestigious Manchester business awards.

The popular server hosting company, which owns and operates two data centres on Manchester’s Technopark, has been selected as a finalist in two categories of the City of Manchester Business Awards – Digital and Creative Business of the Year and Best Use of Social Media.

The City of Manchester Business Awards are organised by Downtown Manchester in Business, in association with Manchester City Council and leading marketing and events agency Journey9.

Rajesh Joshi, Brand Manager for Melbourne, said: “We’re buzzing! Our goal is to make sure our customers get the best service from us, however they get in touch, so to be recognised as amongst the leading digital and creative firms in the city and for our use of social media is a real pleasure.”

Michael Taylor, Chairman of Downtown Manchester in Business, said: “The City of Manchester Business Awards is now in its third year, and we are delighted to be working in partnership with Laura Wolfe and her team at Journey9 this time around. We want to make COMBA a must attend evening, and we know that with our extensive network of contacts and members, combined with Journey9’s unmatched reputation for delivering top quality events, we have every chance of making the 2013 awards the best yet”

The winners will be chosen by a panel of judges in combination with an online vote and announced at a glittering awards evening at the Hilton Hotel on Deansgate, Manchester, on 21 March

IOM IOMART

Historic P/E of 31 forward P/E to
2014 19.5, PEG 0.7.

The markets missed this one.

Too cheap.

GROWTH
2012 (A) 2013 (E) 2014 (E)
Norm. EPS 108.79% 21.90% 27.78%
DPS 62.50% 73.85% 32.74%

INVESTMENT RATIOS
2012 (A) 2013 (E) 2014 (E)

EBITDA £11.08m £15.90m £19.60m
EBIT £6.33m £9.59m £12.63m
Dividend Yield 0.34% 0.58% 0.78%
Dividend Cover 9.78x 6.86x 6.60x
PER 30.44x 24.97x 19.54x
PEG 0.28f 1.14f 0.70f
Net Asset Value PS 13.82p p

Hemscott premium

Date Company Name Broker Rec. Price Old target price New target price Notes

13 Dec Iomart Group PLC Peel Hunt Buy 193.00 230.00 230.00 Reiterates
27 Nov Iomart Group PLC Finncap Buy 193.00 200.00 240.00 Reiterates
27 Nov Iomart Group PLC Nomura Code Neutral 193.00 190.00 - Downgrades
27 Nov Iomart Group PLC N+1 Singer Buy 193.00 - 230.00 Reiterates
26 Nov Iomart Group PLC Canaccord Genuity Buy 193.00 200.00 248.00 Retains

N@P Building Society.

Iomart still a buy tip in this weeks Shares mag.They still seem to think the sp will sail past 300p within a year.

Strong purchasing today, good to see this break the £2.

Seems in the last hr strong purchasing ?

Can the sp stay above the £2 ?

IOM IOMART

Breaking out from Flag chart pattern. (down trend channel)

Brokers certainly behind it.....

Date Company Name Broker Rec. Price Old target price New target price Notes

13 Dec 12 Iomart Group PLC Peel Hunt Buy 208.50 230.00 230.00 Reiterates
27 Nov 12 Iomart Group PLC Finncap Buy 208.50 200.00 240.00 Reiterates
27 Nov 12 Iomart Group PLC Nomura Code Neutral 208.50 190.00 - Downgrades
27 Nov 12 Iomart Group PLC N+1 Singer Buy 208.50 - 230.00 Reiterates
26 Nov 12 Iomart Group PLC Canaccord Genuity Buy 208.50 200.00 248.00 Retains

The movement seemed to start yesterday lunch.

up 7.5%

What the hecks going on here??.

Its been asleep for long enough

Anyway just added.

If news of a company purchase or the like it may not drop. Its got to start driving towards this 300p they keep telling us about. Cup of tea time and a scratch of the head.

Whats going on goldfinger ?

:-))

Starting to move again.

:-))

Ive just got in mate. Sorry Mother isnt well at moment so got to do do some erands etc.

Just see big buys going through.

Puzzled.

Sorry to here about your mum goldfinger, I do hope she makes a speedy recovery.

The company has been way under-valued, Broker Canaccord predicts revenues will hit £49.4 million next year to end March 2014 and rise a further 10% to £54.3 million by 2015. Earnings per share (EPS) of 10.1p and 12.0p respectively. That equates to a price earnings (PE) multiple of 19.9, falling to 16.8, barely above the software sector average 15.9. With return of sales on close on 67%, value still to be
extracted from acquisitions last year, plus impressive visibility and cash generation, EPS to March 2015 could reach 14.0p and justify a premium rating. Matching the 22 times rating attributed by thee market to peer Telecity (TCY) could see the shares sailing past the 300p mark within a year.

Consensus on the Software and computer services sector

Total broker Buy ratings on stocks 74 +

Total broker Hold ratings on stocks 65 .

Total broker Sell ratings on stocks 16 -

Posted on January 22, 2013


iomart Group cloud computing company described as ‘one to watch’ for 2013

iomart Group plc is delighted to announce that it’s bespoke cloud and managed hosting company iomart Hosting has been voted Best Managed Hosting Service at the 7th Annual Web Hosting Awards

The Awards, organised by web hosting guide Host Review, recognise and honour the web hosting companies that are prominent and excel in their business sector and are one of the most prestigious sets of web hosting awards in the industry.

iomart Hosting was also voted one of the Best Managed Cloud Hosting (4th place) and Best Web Hosting (6th place) companies in the world.

Sarah Haran, Managing Director of iomart Hosting, said: “It’s fantastic to be recognized by HostReview as one of the world’s leading providers of managed and cloud hosting. iomart Hosting provides the most reliable, secure and highly available mission critical and business critical hosting and great credit goes to all our employees’ for the hard work they put in to ensure that our customers have peace of mind around their IT infrastructure.”

HostReview said of all the winners: “These are the web hosting providers to keep an eye on in 2013, as they are the best providers to solutions for your web hosting needs, offering cutting-edge technologies and services.”

This year the scope of the HostReview Annual Awards was expanded to cover the increased demand for cloud services by adding three new categories reflecting the latest developments in the cloud space. When ranking the hosting companies, the HostReview team took into account a number of factors, including service quality, customer support, package diversity, new products, and overall performance. The full awards can be viewed at http://www.hostreview.com/awards/2012

If they are buys gone through (3x very large buys) , looks like more upside to come.

The latest share rise has been due to Director share buying and positive fund manager meetings.

Right wondered what was going on cheers DC.

UP about 19% since the start of jan, started to move again this afternoon.

iomart CEO named as finalist for IoD Scotland Director of Year

Posted on February 18, 2013


IoD Scotland judges say entries are of incredibly high standard

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM) CEO Angus MacSween has been named as a finalist for the prestigious IoD Scotland Director of the Year award.

He has been shortlisted in the category for Director of the Year of a business with a turnover of over £30 million.

The Institute of Directors Scotland announced that due to an unprecedented number of entries of “such an incredibly high standard this year,” they were splitting the award for the Director of the Year into two, based on turnover under and above £30m.

The IoD Scotland Director of the Year Awards recognise the top directors from all sectors – public, private and voluntary. This year’s Awards will be the ninth to be held and are highly regarded by the Scottish business community.

The winners will be revealed at a gala dinner on Thursday 21 March 2013 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow.

iomart Group plc is top Managed Service Provider in Europe

Posted on February 18, 2013


MSPmentor also ranks iomart Group at 10th on Global 501 MSP list



iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM) has been named as Europe’s top Managed Services Provider in the annual MSPmentor list which ranks the world’s top managed service providers (MSPs).

As well as topping the MSPmentor 50 EMEA list, iomart Group was also placed 10th on the MSPmentor new and highly prestigious 501 Global Edition, http://www.mspmentor.net/top501/, the highest ranking of any European MSP.

Angus MacSween, iomart Group plc CEO, said, “We’re delighted with this recognition. Our success is based on the delivery of quality bespoke managed services backed by the highest service level agreements. We have recently invested in further data centre capacity and a super-fast fibre network so we continue to build on that success by providing the best connectivity and support to customers throughout the UK and Europe.”

MSPmentor, produced by Nine Lives Media, is the number one online media destination for managed service providers in the world. Its Global 501 report recognizes top |MSPs based on a range of metrics, including annual managed services revenue growth, revenue per employee, managed services offered and customer devices managed.

“MSPmentor congratulates iomart Group on this honor,” said Amy Katz, president of Nine Lives Media. “Qualifying for our MSPmentor 501 Global Edition puts iomart Group in rare company.”

MSPs on this year’s global 501 list lifted their combined annual recurring revenues 24.5 percent to $2.54 billion. Together, those MSPs now manage more than 5.6 million PCs and servers, and nearly 400,000 smartphones and tablets, according to Joe Panettieri, editorial director, Nine Lives Media.

SM -

Iomart to keep racking up big numbers

Disappointing figures from American peer should not impact British technology firm


Glasgow-based Iomart (IOM:AIM) looks set for an uplift in forecasts that could maintain the strong share price momentum evidenced over the past four years.

The £246 million cap provides hosting and IT outsourcing services that exploit the rampant future growth of big data. It helps lower customer costs by stripping out expensive in-house IT technicians while allowing small and medium-sized (SME) businesses simple scalability.

Iomart looks set to reveal organic growth in hosting running close to 20%. This will have been supplemented by strategic bolt-on acquisitions, such as last summer’s (16 Aug ‘12) £7 million purchase of Manchester-based Melbourne.

The shares have retreated modestly from the 242.5p all-time high reached earlier this month (13 Feb) in the wake of a minor fourth-quarter revenue miss by American peer Rackspace (RAX:NYSE). The $8 billion (£5.2 billion) US group last week (13 Feb) reported 25% top line growth to just shy of $353 million (£228 million), although it also admitted to ‘execution issues’.



Iomart is largely an SME specialist with an unblemished reporting past. Forecasts have been upgraded several times by analysts over the last two years, most recently in September after the firm revealed trading had come in ahead of expectations. Full-year consensus, according to Morningstar, is for earnings per share (EPS) of 7.8p, although a number north of over 8p looks on the cards, and news of further acquisitions would not surprise.

Consensus recommendation
As of Feb 23, 2013, the consensus forecast amongst 5 polled investment analysts covering Iomart Group Plc advises that the company will outperform the market. This has been the consensus forecast since the sentiment of investment analysts deteriorated on Feb 14, 2013. The previous consensus forecast advised investors to purchase equity in Iomart Group Plc.
.


http://markets.ft.com/research/Markets/Tearsheets/Forecasts?s=IOM:LSE

The Naked Trader 27 Feb -

Iomart (LON:IOM)has really motored up recently - getting above 240 looks the next test.

Iomart Group: Canaccord Genuity upgrades to buy with a target price of 248p.


As of Mar 09, 2013, the consensus forecast amongst 5 polled investment analysts covering Iomart Group Plc advises that the company will outperform the market. This has been the consensus forecast since the sentiment of investment analysts deteriorated on Feb 14, 2013. The previous consensus forecast advised investors to purchase equity in Iomart Group Plc.

iomart Hosting wins Compare the Cloud.net Cloud pitch competition

Posted on March 14, 2013


‘Tell me why I should use your Cloud in 150 words’ pitch judged the best

iomart Hosting, one of the UK’s leading cloud services companies, has won a competition run by cloud comparison website Compare the Cloud for the best Cloud pitch.

Cloud services providers around the globe were challenged to say in 150 words or less why their cloud solution or technology would solve a business’ problems any better than their competitors.

Phil Worms, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications for iomart Hosting, submitted the following pitch:

“Contrary to general marketing puff, the cloud is not some sort of mystical ethereal panacea for all of IT’s problems. It physically exists and it exists in the data centre. And we own seven of them. We foresaw the emergence of the ‘cloud’ over eight years ago, and have invested millions of pounds in building a cloud capability from physical bricks and mortar upwards. We offer high availability cloud services, across multiple DC sites, connected to one fibre network, supported 24×7. The benefits are clear. No legacy operations, practices, cookie cutter services or reliance on third parties. The result of this ‘one throat to choke’ approach is that we are totally accountable to you. No cloudwash. Tell us what you need/want and we’ll tailor a solution to suit you and then back it with industry leading SLA guarantees. We don’t sell ‘cloud this or that’, we sell peace of mind.”

Competition judges Virtual Machine User Group (VMUG) picked Phil’s pitch as his winner.

Gavin Brining, Founder and Chairman of VMUG, commented: “In just 150 words iomart have taken the reader on an informative journey through the building blocks of the cloud, and in doing so have successfully positioned their service, infrastructure and customisation as a credible solution to your computing challenges.”

Of his winning pitch, Phil Worms said: “This was a great competition to run because it hit the nail on the head in terms of industry interpretation of the ‘cloud’, how it leads to confusion and how diverse the definitions are depending on your particular space in the marketplace. There are so many explanations around that it’s hard for businesses and organisations to cut through some of the sales speak and get to the point where they can actually find the solution for their particular needs. The challenge to differentiate ourselves was inspiring and I’m delighted that we’ve got our message through.”

As of Mar 15, 2013, the consensus forecast amongst 5 polled investment analysts covering Iomart Group Plc advises investors to purchase equity in the company. This has been the consensus forecast since the sentiment of investment analysts improved on Mar 13, 2013. The previous consensus forecast advised that Iomart Group Plc would outperform the market.

Full speed ahead as iomart Group becomes EMC Velocity™ Service Provider

Posted on March 18, 2013


iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM) has been chosen by EMC to join its Velocity™ Service Provider Program. EMC built the Velocity™ Service Provider Program to recruit and support the industry’s leading service providers as they deliver cloud based services to their joint customers.

Last August iomart Group plc provisioned the EMC® Avamar® deduplication backup software and system to strengthen its cloud-based backup-as-a-service offering for Enterprise and SMB customers across its main hosting brands. Now, as a member of the Velocity™ Service Provider Program, iomart Group will accelerate and expand its routes into the market by offering enterprise cloud and managed services, leveraging iomart’s own market- leading infrastructure.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “Becoming a strategic member of the EMC Velocity™ Service Provider Program is the next stage in our relationship with the world’s leading provider of cloud based technologies. This is a really important partnership for iomart Group and will create a new opportunity for us to sell our services to customers in the UK, Europe and beyond.”

iomart Group has a network of seven data centre locations in the UK connected via a high speed fibre network and provides bespoke cloud and managed hosting to SMEs and large organisations. iomart was invited to join EMC’s Velocity Service Provider Program for its strengths in EMC’s core solution sets around Data Storage and Data Protection; and its data centre and network assets.

“EMC continues to align with proven, industry-leading managed service providers to help serve customers who are seeking the most optimum cloud services available.” said Ross Fraser, Vice President of EMEA Global Alliances, EMC Corporation. “We have been working with iomart for a number of years as a customer and are now delighted to welcome them to the Velocity Service Provider Program this year as they continue to grow their portfolio around differentiated and innovative public and private cloud options powered by EMC technologies.”

Bill Strain, CTO for iomart Group plc, added: “Achieving recognition in EMC’s VSP Program means we can combine forces both in sales and solution development and work closely with EMC on key requirements for product innovation to deliver the cloud services that customers are looking for. It’s a great opportunity for iomart and we look forward to working closely together over the coming months and years.”

Trading Update
RNS
RNS Number : 8350A
Iomart Group PLC
26 March 2013



Date: 26 March 2013

On behalf of: iomart Group plc ("iomart" or the "Group")

Embargoed until: 0700hrs

iomart Group plc

Pre-close Trading Statement and Notice of Results

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to provide its pre-close trading statement for the year ending 31 March 2013 ahead of the announcement of its full year results.



Group Trading Performance

The Board is delighted to report that iomart has achieved a very strong set of results. For the year to 31 March 2013, the Group expects to show an adjusted EBITDA(1) of not less than £16.4 million (FY2012: £11.2 million) and adjusted(2) profit before tax of approximately £10.6 million (FY2012: £6.9 million) both ahead of market consensus. The Group has delivered strong organic growth as well as good performances from its acquired businesses and the Board sees that pattern continuing as further consolidation takes place.



Operations

iomart Hosting has continued to win a substantial number of contracts over the year, as the Group continues to benefit from the growing adoption of cloud type services by organisations who need a strong partner with the necessary infrastructure to provide the certainty, scalability and flexibility they are looking for. It also benefitted from the contribution of Melbourne, the hosting business acquired in August 2012. Easyspace has also delivered an improved performance in part as a result of the successful integration of the acquisitions of Skymarket and HostingUK.

Notice of Results

The Group expects to report its full year results for the year ending 31 March 2013 on Wednesday 29 May 2013.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, stated:

"iomart continues to benefit from a compelling mix of a growing market, recurring revenues, sticky customers, good forward visibility and a leading competitive position. As a result we remain very confident of further growth in the next financial year and beyond."

(1)adjusted EBITDA means earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation, share based payment charges acquisition related costs and non recurring acquisition integration costs.

(2)adjusted profit before tax means profits before, tax, share based payment charges, amortisation of acquired intangibles, acquisition related costs, non recurring acquisition integration costs and mark to market adjustments in respect of interest swap arrangements.

Iomart expects to beat full year forecasts
Tue 26 Mar 2013

IOM - Iomart Group


LONDON (SHARECAST) - Cloud computing firm Iomart said it expects to report full year EBITDA and profit ahead of market forecasts and remains confident of further growth as a growing number of companies sign up for their online services.

The aim traded Glasgow-based group said it expects to show an adjusted EBITDA of no less than £16.4m for the year to March 31st 2013 compared to £11.2m before and adjusted pre-tax profit of around £10.6m, up from £6.9m and ahead of market consensus.

The acquisitive group, which owns a string of data centres across the UK, said it saw strong organic growth as well as good performances from its acquired businesses. It sees that pattern continuing as further consolidation takes place.

Iomart Hosting won a substantial number of contracts over the year, the group said, as companies switch to cloud services.

"The group continues to benefit from the growing adoption of cloud type services by organisations who need a strong partner with the necessary infrastructure to provide the certainty, scalability and flexibility they are looking for."

Iomart said it also benefited from the contribution of Melbourne, the hosting business acquired in August 2012. Easyspace has also delivered an improved performance in part as a result of the integration of the acquisitions of Skymarket and HostingUK.

CEO Angus MacSween said: "Iomart continues to benefit from a compelling mix of a growing market, recurring revenues, sticky customers, good forward visibility and a leading competitive position. As a result we remain very confident of further growth in the next financial year and beyond

As of Mar 29, 2013, the consensus forecast amongst 5 polled investment analysts covering Iomart Group Plc advises investors to purchase equity in the company. This has been the consensus forecast since the sentiment of investment analysts improved on Mar 13, 2013. The previous consensus forecast advised that Iomart Group Plc would outperform the market.

iomart Group nominated for Data Centre, Storage and Northern Tech awards

Posted on April 5, 2013


iomart companies shortlisted for cloud and storage expertise

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), is delighted to announce that it has been shortlisted for an array of industry awards this week.

iomart Group has been shortlisted for the 2013 Data Centre Solutions Awards. iomart is up for the title of Hosting Provider of the Year as well as the award for Private Sector Datacentre Project of the Year in conjunction with Geo Networks – for the high speed fibre network that now connects iomart’s seven data centre locations across the UK.

iomart has also made the shortlist in two categories at the 2013 Storage Awards – known in the industry as the Storries – for Cloud Enabler of the Year and Archiving and Compliance Product of the Year. The services nominated – Cloud Backup and Storage and Mail Archiving – are both provided by iomart’s Channel partner brand iomartCloud.

iomart’s Manchester server hosting company Melbourne Server Hosting has also reached the finals of the Northern Tech Awards. Melbourne has been shortlisted for Fastest Growing Tech Company (Over £10 m), North West Tech Company and Best Tech Deal.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “I’m delighted that our expertise across the range of managed and cloud services is being recognised at the highest levels and wish everyone nominated the best of luck.”

iomart Group shortlisted for Scottish Business Awards

Posted on April 10, 2013


iomart nominated for Scottish PLC of the Year

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM) is delighted to announce that it has been selected as a finalist for the 2013 Scottish Business Awards.

iomart has been shortlisted for the title of KPMG Scottish PLC of the Year. The winners will be announced at ceremony at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on June 21 where former US President Bill Clinton will give the keynote speech.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “This is further recognition of the importance of the growing market for cloud services and the role that iomart is playing in it. We have developed the high speed network and data centre infrastructure capable of meeting the IT requirements of some of the biggest companies in Scotland and the UK.”

The Scottish Business Awards celebrate excellence in Scottish business and recognise the people and companies that are changing the face of Scotland

As of Apr 12, 2013, the consensus forecast amongst 5 polled investment analysts covering Iomart Group Plc advises investors to purchase equity in the company. This has been the consensus forecast since the sentiment of investment analysts improved on Mar 13, 2013. The previous consensus forecast advised that Iomart Group Plc would outperform the market.

iomart Group Financial Director is up for FTSE FDs’ Excellence Award

Posted on April 19, 2013


Richard Logan shortlisted for Smaller Quoted Company FD of Year

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM) is delighted to announce that its Financial Director, Richard Logan, has been shortlisted for the FDs’ Excellence Awards, which recognise the best financial leaders and financial directors in the UK.

Richard Logan is one of six financial directors selected by the judges in the FTSE FDs’ Award category for Smaller Quoted Companies.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “Richard’s nomination reflects the important role he plays in ensuring our continued success, delivering bespoke cloud services to leading businesses across the UK.”

Created by Real Business, the FD Excellence awards are held in association with ICAEW, and supported by the CBI. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square, London on May 9th


http://fdx.realbusiness.co.uk/#shortlist

RapidSwitch Provides Dedicated Hosting for Global Online Recycling Marketplace

Posted on April 22, 2013


RapidSwitch, part of UK cloud computing company iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), is providing dedicated hosting for a new B2B online marketplace which is changing the face of the global trade in recyclable materials.

Recycling.com is unique because it allows an auction to take place directly between the seller of recyclable materials – such as paper, plastics, and metals – and those wanting to buy it, in a secure trustworthy online environment. Since launching six months ago over 150 companies have registered in over 17 different countries and turnover of existing members is in excess of $12 billion.

Mark Baij, CEO of Recycling.com, said: “Since launching we’ve had a tremendous amount of interest, and with a multilingual website and team we can communicate very effectively with all the main markets worldwide. Trading started recently and we continue to add new members on a daily basis so we’re pleased that the demand we felt was there based on our research and knowledge of the market is materialising.”

The data for the Recycling.com transactions is stored and transmitted securely from a UK-based dedicated server at RapidSwitch’s 1300 metre(2) Maidenhead data centre which sits behind a Cisco ASA security appliance to give complete control over access to the platform.

Noel Hanrahan, COO of Recycling.com, explained: “Our members want reassurance that our site is stable and secure. A key component of this is crucially linked to the service and performance of our hosting company.”

RapidSwitch’s ISO27001 and 9001 accredited data centre facilities offer complete peace of mind over the physical security of the platform, complementing the electronic security put in place by Recycling.com.

Neil Christie, Commercial Director of RapidSwitch, said: “We are delighted to be providing reliable and secure hosting for Recycling.com as it establishes a brand new marketplace for recyclables.”

iomart Group voted AIM/Mid Sized Cap at Scotland PLC Awards

Posted on April 26, 2013


Cloud computing company wins title for second year

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM) has been voted AIM/Mid-sized Cap PLC of the year for the second year running at the Scotland PLC awards.

iomart Group’s “impressive financial performance last year and its success in pulling off a string of strategic acquisitions” was highlighted by the judging panel.

One of the judges commented that iomart was “Clearly a highly effective business model which is growing rapidly through both acquisition and organic growth.”

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group, said: “Scottish and UK business has now grasped the important role that the cloud can play in delivering computing resources. We have invested in a high speed fibre network and made a strategic acquisition of Melbourne Server Hosting in Manchester, to ensure that iomart can deliver the mission critical cloud services those businesses need wherever they are located.”

The awards, which were established to recognise the success of Scotland’s listed companies, are held jointly by Scottish Business Insider and leading accountant PwC.

Aberdeen Asset Management took the overall of Scottish PLC of the Year while iomart client Stagecoach picked up the award for sustainability.

Commenting on the awards, Lindsay Gardiner, regional leader at PwC in Scotland, said: “It’s crucial that we continue to champion the pivotal role played by the private sector in creating jobs, developing goods, delivering services and driving our economic rehabilitation here in Scotland and across the UK.

“By promoting enterprise and demonstrating that business is good for our communities and our country, we can help inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders and generate an entrepreneurial revolution in our back yard.”

iomart Group acquisition Melbourne also picked up the award for Best Tech Deal at the Northern Tech Awards.

A Hold in this weeks IC - Cloud computing is already well established, but is likely to remain one of the key tech sector growth areas over the next few years. Inevitably
IOMART (IOM) has grabbed attention - the Glasgow-based company is one of the biggest cloud companies in Europe and is growing fast. Actually owning its infrastructure network and data centres does much to win trust and businesses are now far more comfortable switching to what is a much cheaper and more flexible way of hosting. Existing customers are putting more business Iomart's way, too,
and acquisitions are driving growth at the Easyspace division, which targets the low end, sub-£100 a year market. Iomart said last month that it expected consensus-busting adjusted pre-tax profit of £10.6m in the year to March 2013, up over 50% on 2012. Analysts at broker Peel Hunt are looking for adjusted EPS of about 7.7p and 9.7p for the current year. True a typical contract runs for two or three years, so there is reasonably good revenue visibility. However this kind of growth does not come cheap and a forward PE ratio of 24 is in line with peers both here and in the US.

As of Apr 26, 2013, the consensus forecast amongst 4 polled investment analysts covering Iomart Group Plc advises investors to purchase equity in the company. This has been the consensus forecast since the sentiment of investment analysts improved on Mar 13, 2013. The previous consensus forecast advised that Iomart Group Plc would outperform the market.

Manchester Hosting Company launches recruitment drive

Posted on April 30, 2013


Online retailers boost Melbourne Server Hosting growth

Manchester tech company Melbourne Server Hosting, part of iomart Group plc, is looking for new recruits to support its growing business. In the first three months of 2013, Melbourne took almost 300 new orders for server hosting.

A growing number of e-retailers including BBC Television ‘The Apprentice’ contestant Susan Ma’s skincare brand, Tropic Skin Care have turned to Melbourne to support their online presence. Melbourne also provided new high-capacity server solutions for Manchester-based fashion brands AX Paris and Little Black Dress to support their recent TV appearances and primetime advertising campaigns.

Chris Marsh, Commercial Manager for Melbourne Server Hosting, said: “Many exciting retail brands are establishing significant UK and European markets through their growing online presence and we’re delighted that so many of them are turning to us for reliable, round-the-clock support.”

Melbourne employs 30 staff at its data centres and offices on the Manchester Technopark. To ensure it continues to deliver 24/7 technical support for all its customers it is looking to employ the following: a datacentre engineer, a Linux system administrator, a business development manager and a finance and administration assistant.

Rajesh Joshi, Brand Manager for Melbourne Server Hosting, said: “We’re looking for talented people to join the Melbourne family and help support our continuing growth. Not only will you get to join one of the most fun, creative and forward-thinking hosting companies in the UK, you’ll also get to work in some of the funkiest offices too.”

Melbourne’s offices at Lovell House were voted among the UK’s top 10 coolest offices to work in by The Telegraph and are featured on Google Street View.

Melbourne Server Hosting is part of iomart Group plc www.iomart.com, which provides bespoke cloud and managed hosting from seven fully-owned and managed data centre locations across the UK which are connected by a high-speed fibre network.

Ziptech Services strengthens cloud services portfolio with iomartcloud

Posted on May 1, 2013


UK IT support company meets growing SME demand for cloud storage and backup

IT support company Ziptech Services, has turned to iomartcloud, part of iomart Group plc, to offer cloud storage, cloud backup and virtualisation to SMEs across the UK.

Ziptech Services says it is experiencing growing demand for cloud services from SMEs and is partnering with iomartcloud because of its ability to deliver reliable, secure and scalable cloud storage, cloud backup and web and email filtering plus its experience in virtual server infrastructures.

Jim Simpson, CEO of Ziptech Services, said: “We provide long-term IT support for a wide range of small to medium businesses. Virtually all of them have either indicated a desire or are in the process of moving to the cloud. There are so many benefits to the cloud: reducing capital costs; enablement of a mobile workforce and reducing IT administration; plus reducing your insurance premiums by not having to keep expensive IT equipment on site.”

Ziptech Services itself migrated to the cloud recently and says this should give its own clients the confidence to follow. “After all we wouldn’t ask them to do anything we hadn’t done ourselves,” Jim added.

iomartcloud is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of business critical hosted cloud services. Ziptech can centrally manage all its clients in the cloud via iomartcloud’s simple, web-accessed cloud control panel.

Perry Bowles, Technical Director of Ziptech Services, explained: “Aside from some excellent underlying technology and expertise, the main thing iomartcloud delivers is a single easy-to-use control panel that allows our engineers to manage our clients cloud resources from one place.”

Bill Strain, director of iomartcloud, said: “Our innovative control panel makes it easy to provision and administer cloud services for individual clients but manage them centrally, allowing our partners to reap the benefits of the evolving cloud environment.”
This entry was posted in Group News by ioadmin. Bookmark the permalink.

As of May 03, 2013, the consensus forecast amongst 4 polled investment analysts covering Iomart Group Plc advises investors to purchase equity in the company. This has been the consensus forecast since the sentiment of investment analysts improved on Mar 13, 2013. The previous consensus forecast advised that Iomart Group Plc would outperform the market.

Share price forecast




The 5 analysts offering 12 month price targets for Iomart Group Plc have a median target of 264.00, with a high estimate of 290.00 and a low estimate of 190.00. The median estimate represents a 12.34% increase from the last price of 235.00.

iomart lands on UK public sector G Cloud

Posted on May 7, 2013


Scottish cloud and managed services company selected as supplier of IaaS, PaaS and SaaS

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), one of the UK’s leading providers of cloud and managed hosting services, has been selected for G-Cloud iii Framework, the latest iteration of G-Cloud, the pre-approved group of Cloud ICT suppliers to the UK Government.

iomart has been selected as a supplier of cloud services under Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS); Platform As A Service (PaaS); and Software As A Service (SaaS) for the CloudStore ICT catalogue which the UK Government established to encourage the adoption of cloud computing. The Cloudstore allows public sector organisations to purchase cloud services quickly and easily with minimal disruption or managerial involvement.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “We are delighted that our tender for inclusion in the newest version of G Cloud has been successful. G Cloud provides a different route to doing business with the public sector in the UK and we look forward to the opportunity to deliver our expertise and capabilities across the full range of cloud and managed IT services.”

Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland and with offices and data centres across the UK, iomart specialises in the delivery and management of bespoke mission-critical private and hybrid cloud and managed IT infrastructures as well as providing a full range of cloud and software services such as cloud storage, backup and security solutions. Public sector clients include one of the UK’s biggest housing associations and a number of councils and education providers.

World Whisky Day Goes with iomart

Posted on May 7, 2013


UK cloud services company iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM) has come to the rescue of World Whisky Day after the website set up to celebrate Scotland’s most famous export crashed on launch day last year.

iomart has placed the World Whisky Day website on its Cloudsure platform to ensure that it enjoys 100 per cent uptime and can be accessed through all time zones for this year’s event which takes place on Saturday May 18.

Aberdeen University student Blair Bowman set up World Whisky Day after realising there was no designated day to celebrate the iconic spirit. He set up a website and asked people to post their events and messages but it crashed under the weight of interest from supporters across the globe.

Blair Bowman explained: “When I rang up the hosting company we were using in California they couldn’t even find my details. They said it would take 48 hours to fix and I said it can’t because it’s World Whisky Day today! I ended up manually inputting hundreds of events myself. Thankfully iomart have come to the rescue so the website won’t crash again. ”

Phil Worms, marketing director for iomart, added: “Blair got a fantastic response to his launch of World Whisky day last year, it was even trending worldwide on social media, but he wasn’t able to capitalise on this because the website was on a server that couldn’t take the spike in traffic and the hosting company’s support staff weren’t responsive enough. We’ve put the website on our Cloudsure platform so that it has the scalable and reliable hosting plus round-the-clock technical support to ensure that this year’s event is the toast of the world whisky community.”

SHI International Chooses iomartcloud, Powered by EMC Technology, for Enterprise Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery

Posted on May 8, 2013


SHI International Corp., one of North America’s top 20 IT solutions providers, has chosen iomartcloud’s enterprise cloud platform to deliver reliable and flexible backup solutions for its customers in the United States.

SHI selected iomartcloud’s platform because it delivers scalable, secure, and easy-to-manage enterprise-grade data backup and recovery through a more user-friendly interface. The partnership was announced at EMC World in Las Vegas.

SHI and iomart will work together to provide cloud Backup as a Service (BaaS) to businesses and organizations across the United States. SHI’s Backup as a Service is an end-to-end software and hardware backup and recovery solution that is delivered as a self or managed service.

Cloud Backup from iomartcloud adds next-generation intelligent data backup and recovery to protect organizations’ critical data in a simple, unified solution.

Through this BaaS system, IT departments gain a simple-to-use and easy-to-deploy enterprise-class managed service for both physical and virtual environments.

“Big Data offers organizations valuable insights into their business, but more companies need a simple way to store and secure their data assets,” said Richard Place, General Manager, Cloud Services at SHI International Corp. “SHI sought out iomart based on its extensive experience in the European market with BaaS and Disaster Recovery offerings based on EMC Avamar technologies. Our customers can now take advantage of iomartcloud’s advanced customer interface, which offers a more user-friendly and efficient experience when executing simple or even advanced backup and recovery tasks.”

SHI International is a $4.45 billion global provider of information technology products and services based in Somerset, New Jersey. iomartcloud supplies business-critical hosted cloud services through an extensive network of partners and is part of iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), one of the UK’s leading cloud computing companies.

“This partnership will extend to SHI customers a secure and scalable data backup,” said Bill Strain, director of iomartcloud. “With our white-labeled product, powered by storage leader EMC’s technology, SHI can now provide customers with a full range of on- and off-premises backup solutions that ensure efficient and reliable data storage and recovery for customers.”

iomart Group Finance Director wins at FD’s Excellence Awards

Posted on May 10, 2013


iomart among media and technology awards winners

Richard Logan, the Director of Finance for iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), has picked up one of the UK’s top financial management awards.

Richard was named Smaller Quoted Company Financial Director of Year at the FDs’ Excellence Awards in London last night. The awards, created by Real Business and held in association with the ICAEW and supported by the CBI, are the biggest national programme celebrating excellence in financial management.

_MG_0448

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “Richard has played an important role in iomart Group’s strategy of organic and acquisitive growth which has helped us become one of the UK’s leading cloud computing companies. He is a friend as well as a colleague and I look forward to working with him to bring iomart further success.”

Richard Logan was not the only representative from a media and technology firm to scoop an award. Ian Griffiths, chief financial officer at ITV, picked up the prestigious FTSE 100 FD of the Year while FTSE 250 FD of the Year went to Rick Medlock, CFO of mobile satellite company Inmarsat.

Michael Izza, Chief Executive of ICAEW, said: “An award-winning FD is not just a financial controller; working closely with the CEO they play an integral role in developing and implementing company strategy. A knowledgeable and inspirational FD that demonstrates leadership and influence is as essential to the success of a business as a tenacious and visionary CEO. The FDs’ Excellence Awards are a fantastic way to recognise those FDs that are making a real difference to British businesses.”

iomart Group owns and operates data centres at seven locations across the UK connected via a high speed fibre network and specialises in the delivery of bespoke cloud and managed hosting. This week iomart announced that it has been selected for G-Cloud iii Framework, the latest iteration of G-Cloud, the pre-approved group of Cloud ICT suppliers to the UK Government.

iomart will be a supplier of cloud services under Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS); Platform As A Service (PaaS); and Software As A Service (SaaS) for the CloudStore ICT catalogue which the UK Government has established to encourage the adoption of cloud computing by the public sector.

iomart Group Private Cloud Services shortlisted for International Datacentre & Cloud Awards

Posted on May 16, 2013


iomart shortlisted in Private Cloud Services & Infrastructure category

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), is delighted to announce that it has been shortlisted as a finalist for the 6th International Datacentre & Cloud Awards 2013 for its Private Cloud Services & Infrastructure.

The Group was nominated for its Cloudsure platform which offers a fully resilient, secure, scalable and highly available private cloud solution enabling enterprises to scale their own computing, network and storage requirements in real time according to their needs.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “Speed and co-ordinating the delivery of many types of services is key to private cloud so iomart has developed Cloudsure to allow ease of provisioning and management as well as investing in our own private fibre network to deliver securely and at the highest speeds right up to our customers’ door.”

Ashley Davies, chairman of the Judges Panel for the International Datacentre & Cloud Awards, commented: “This year’s nominations once again demonstrate the very high levels of competency that companies engaged in the datacentre and cloud service sector need to attain.

“We are entering an extraordinary period of radical change in the data centre fabric, in Cloud, modular, DCIM software, and new innovations in cooling and electrical power. This means players must be agile and able to respond to demand for flexibility, IT expertise, new ways in procurement, and achieve vertical market expertise, cost and technical differentiation. The Awards process aims to reflect these trends and identify best in class for each category.”

The 6th International Datacentre & Cloud Awards are organised by international consulting firm Broad Group.

Philip Low, managing director of BroadGroup, added: “In 2013 the Awards will again provide new benchmarks of aspiration for the companies shortlisted and world class recognition for winners,”

The full shortlist is available here. The winners will be announced at the Awards ceremony on 13th June at the prestigious One Whitehall Place in central London.

Posted on May 20, 2013


World’s largest gardening charity picks hybrid hosting

www.rhs.orgiomart Hosting, part of AIM-listed iomart Group plc, has helped the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the world’s largest gardening charity, to create a secure, resilient and scalable IT infrastructure to meet the online demands of its growing global membership and its staff.

RHS turned to iomart Hosting after deciding its historic central London headquarters, the Royal Horticultural Halls in Vincent Square, Westminster, were no longer suitable to act as the charity’s data centre.

Robert Reilly, Head of IT for the Royal Horticultural Society, says, “We are a registered charity and rely on subscriptions, donations and sponsorship to fund our work, so how we deliver value back is hugely important. It was no longer economical for us to be using Vincent Square for our server hosting so we needed a new and efficient way of operating and managing our IT. iomart Hosting offered the world class, resilient, Enterprise data centre facilities that we needed at a price we could afford.”

iomart Hosting used its expertise in providing highly available, high performance VMware solutions and its Enterprise infrastructure to build a hybrid cloud platform for RHS in its secure London data centre.

The 200 year old RHS has over 400,000 members and is responsible for a series of world-class horticultural shows including the Chelsea Flower Show which celebrates its centenary this week. Its Patron Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will visit the Show today before it opens to the public.

The main RHS website which provides gardening advice, horticultural research and tickets to RHS events is supported by iomart’s Cloudsure platform which allows capacity to be scaled easily and quickly in the event of spikes in traffic. The RHS’s internal systems sit on a large secure, private cloud.

Robert Reilly continues, “There were three specific things we needed to achieve with the move to iomart’ s data centre – UPS, connectivity and a high level of security. We now have a super-fast network that connects all our outlying offices with our headquarters, allows members quick access to our vast archive of horticultural information and images, protects their personal details and keeps us online 24 hours a day.”

Sarah Haran, managing director of iomart hosting, says, “Our technical teams work with organisations to ensure that they have the bespoke mission-critical infrastructure that best supports their needs. We are proud to be helping the RHS deliver a high value hosting platform to its members and supporters.”

Final results Wednesday 29 May

iomart group PLC (IOM:LSE) set a new 52-week high during today's trading session when it reached 249.12. Over this period, the share price is up 79.93%.

Final Results

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

· Revenue growth of 29% to £43.1m (2012: £33.5m)

· Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 48% to £16.5m (2012: £11.2m)

· Adjusted profit before tax growth2 of 56% to £10.7m (2012: £6.9m)

· Adjusted basic earnings per share3 from operations increased by 21% to 8.46p (2012: 6.99p)

· Cashflow from operations increased by 54% to £14.8m (2012: £9.6m)

· Adjusted EBITDA1 margins increased to 38% (2012: 33%)

· Proposed final dividend increased by 56% to 1.40p per share (2012: 0.90p per share)



OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

· Acquisition of Melbourne Server Hosting Limited for a total consideration of £6.7m

· Acquisition of Skymarket Limited for a maximum consideration of £1.4m

· Acquisition of Internet Engineering Limited for a maximum consideration of £1.4m

· Deployment of resilient UK fibre network across all datacentres

· Commencement of fit out of additional 600 racks of datacentre space

Statutory Equivalents

The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:

· Profit before tax growth of 49% to £8.7m (2012: £5.8m)
· Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 11% to 6.91p (2012: 6.22p)

RNS


RNS Number : 7386F

Iomart Group PLC

29 May 2013








29 May 2013

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")



Final Results for the Year ended 31 March 2013



iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated final results for the year ended 31 March 2013.



FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Revenue growth of 29% to £43.1m (2012: £33.5m)



· Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 48% to £16.5m (2012: £11.2m)



· Adjusted profit before tax growth2 of 56% to £10.7m (2012: £6.9m)



· Adjusted basic earnings per share3 from operations increased by 21% to 8.46p (2012: 6.99p)



· Cashflow from operations increased by 54% to £14.8m (2012: £9.6m)



· Adjusted EBITDA1 margins increased to 38% (2012: 33%)



· Proposed final dividend increased by 56% to 1.40p per share (2012: 0.90p per share)





OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Acquisition of Melbourne Server Hosting Limited for a total consideration of £6.7m



· Acquisition of Skymarket Limited for a maximum consideration of £1.4m



· Acquisition of Internet Engineering Limited for a maximum consideration of £1.4m



· Deployment of resilient UK fibre network across all datacentres



· Commencement of fit out of additional 600 racks of datacentre space



Statutory Equivalents



The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:



· Profit before tax growth of 49% to £8.7m (2012: £5.8m)

· Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 11% to 6.91p (2012: 6.22p)











1 Throughout this statement adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) before share based payment charges and acquisition costs. Throughout this statement acquisition costs are defined as acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition integration costs.

2 Throughout this statement adjusted profit before tax is profit before tax, amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, shared based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps and acquisition costs.

3 Throughout this statement adjusted earnings per share is earnings per share before amortisation charges on acquired intangible

assets, shared based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps and acquisition costs, including the taxation effect of these.

4 At the start of the financial year some of the customers of Titan Internet Limited, which was acquired in October 2010, were transferred from the Hosting segment to the Easyspace segment. All of the appropriate comparative figures for the previous financial year for both segments have been restated to reflect that transfer. Details of the comparative figures before the effect of the transfer have been included in the Segmental Analysis note.







Angus MacSween, CEO commented,



"This has been another excellent trading period for iomart, delivering substantial growth both organically and through successful acquisitions. Trading since the year end remains encouraging and in line with our expectations. We continue to be well placed to deliver an ever wider range of cloud services and with our growing credibility and strength we expect to be able to penetrate further into the corporate environment. Our experience and skills are growing and we continue to improve and invest in our systems and people to support further significant growth. I look forward once again with confidence to the year ahead."

iomart adjusted earnings up 48%

Canaccord Genuity Buy 244.25 248.75 264.00 272.00 Reiterates

Finncap Buy 244.25 248.75 290.00 290.00 Reiterates

iomart inflated by cloud acquisitions
Wed 29 May 2013




iomart inflated by cloud acquisitions LONDON (SHARECAST) - Cloud computing provider iomart lifted its dividend by more than half as three acquisitions boosted sales and profits.

The highly cash generative company increased revenues 29% to £43.1m, with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and one-off acquisition costs soaring 48% to £16.5m.

The Glasgow-headquartered group proposed a 56% increase in its final and total dividend to 1.4p per share after cashflow from operations swelled by 54% to £14.8m.

But due to acquisition spending the company moved from a net cash position of £2.5m to a small net debt position of £0.4m by the year-end.

During the year iomart acquired and completed the integration of three internet hosting businesses, Melbourne Server Hosting for £6.7m in August, Skymarket for up to £1.4m in July and Internet Engineering for £1.4m in October.

Together the three businesses added £894,000 of pre-tax profits from a combined £3.7m revenue.

Chief Executive Officer Angus MacSween said: “Trading since the year end remains encouraging and in line with our expectations.

“We continue to be well placed to deliver an ever wider range of cloud services and with our growing credibility and strength we expect to be able to penetrate further into the corporate environment.

“Our experience and skills are growing and we continue to improve and invest in our systems and people to support further significant growth. I look forward once again with confidence to the year ahead."

Shares in iomart were down 2.0% at 243.75p at 9.20 on Wednesday.

iomart Group and Geo win Global Telecoms Business Award for private fibre network

Posted on June 5, 2013


Network delivers capacity, speed and connectivity for private cloud

gtbiomart Group plc (AIM:IOM) and dedicated fibre network provider Geo Networks Ltd (Geo) have won the prestigious Global Telecoms Business (GTB) Innovation Award for ‘Fixed Network Infrastructure Innovation.’

The award was presented at a ceremony in London last night for the successful delivery by Geo of a fully private network to match iomart’s private cloud infrastructure.

The project, which included the delivery of a fully dedicated 1,860km fibre optical ring connecting iomart’s eight UK data centres, and the intricate integration of numerous network layers, was completed in less than four months, during the 2012 London Olympic road works embargo.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “It has been a long-held ambition of iomart to have complete ownership of our customers’ journey with no reliance on third party hosts. With Geo’s help we now have one of the most resilient and secure fibre networks and the network capacity, speed and connectivity to take the cloud right up to our customers’ door.”

The GTB Innovation Awards recognise collaboration between operators and vendors on the most innovative projects from the international telecoms and communications industry.

Chris Smedley, Chief Executive at Geo commented: “As the only company in the UK which leases carrier-grade dedicated fibre, Geo can provide services faster than its competitors. Our business model is different from the traditional telco model, offering our customers greater choice and flexibility.”

The Awards were founded by Global Telecoms Business Magazine, part of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC group. Editor Alan Burkitt-Gray added: “The industry is seeing a wave of innovation which is making a huge difference — to the companies working in the industry and to all of us in business and as consumers.”

Good 4% rise today on this poor market day. Good news seems to take a few days to filter through on this one.

A buy in this weeks IC - Iomart's forward PE ratio of 24 isn't cheap, but is warranted for a company forecast to produce EPS growth of 40% over the next couple of years.

iomart Group Launches 2013 Sports Campaign

Posted on June 11, 2013


GB Youth Basketball and Football Teams to Benefit from Host Your Kit

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM) has today launched its annual youth sports initiative Host Your Kit with the new campaign expanded to include basketball as well as football for 2013.

host_your_kitHost Your Kit is a competition to give away free brand new sports kit to youth teams across England, Scotland and Wales, who would otherwise struggle to pay for them. Last year 30 football teams won brand new kits courtesy of the award-winning cloud computing company. This year the competition will include basketball as well.

Phil Worms, Director of Marketing for iomart Group said: “Host Your Kit is about providing much needed sports kit to deserving youth teams during difficult economic times and we’re delighted that it’s going to be bigger and better this summer.

“Host Your Kit also takes our hosting message to an audience not normally associated with computing and IT. The response to last year’s football campaign was phenomenal and we wanted to expand it, so this year we’ve added basketball as it’s a fast growing sport in the cities in which we have a data centre presence. We believe this will provide us with new levels of engagement.”

Host Your Kit’s move into basketball is being supported by Basketball Scotland and GB and Scotland forward centre Kieron Achara helped launch the campaign along with Rangers FC footballer Robbie Crawford.

Kieron, who played for Team GB at the London Olympics, said: “The Olympics fired up huge interest from kids for basketball across the UK so it’s great to see a company like iomart getting involved and helping teams with kit. Getting a great quality kit is often too expensive for young teams but when you pull one on you understand what a big difference it can make to your performance.”

Robbie Crawford of Rangers, added: “It’s great to be involved in a campaign that’s helping young football teams in such a positive way. I hope every young club enters Host Your Kit for the chance to win new kit.”

Host Your Kit is giving away a total of 45 Spalding and adidas kit with the help of sports retailers Gilmour Sports and Greaves Sports. Details of how to enter are at www.hostyourkit.com . You can follow the campaign on Twitter

iomart Group wins Cloud and Storage treble

Posted on June 14, 2013


iomart Triumphs at Data Centre and Cloud Oscars

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), has picked up its third major industry award in the space of two weeks after winning the award for Private Cloud Services & Infrastructure at the 6th International Datacentre & Cloud Awards 2013, described as the Oscars of the industry.

The Group won the award for its Cloudsure platform which offers a fully resilient, secure, scalable and highly available private cloud solution enabling enterprises to scale their own computing, network and storage requirements in real time according to their needs.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “We’re delighted that the industry has recognised the hard work that we have put in over the past year to create not only the infrastructure but the network and connectivity to support the growing demand from business for private and hybrid cloud. Big data is driving the need for flexibility, reliability and ever greater expertise in all aspects of the cloud and we are delighted to be at the forefront of the industry response to that demand.”

Ashley Davis, Managing Director, GTIS, Corporate Centre, UBS Investment Bank and chairman of the Judges Panel said: “The quality of submissions across all categories attests to the value the industry now places on these Awards. They continue to reflect the international character of the datacentre and cloud industry and the demonstrable need for customer focus and innovation to remain in lead position.”

Last week the Group’s cloud services brand iomartcloud collected the award for Archiving and Compliance Product of the Year at the 2013 Storage Awards for its Email Archiving solution.

Better known as the Storries, the Storage Awards are voted for by the readers of Storage Magazine and reward the outstanding products, services and people delivering storage to businesses and organisations.

Bill Strain, director of iomartcloud, said: “Delivering an effective archiving and storage solution across an increasingly disparate IT environment in the era of big data is a massive challenge to system administrators. To ensure we deliver the products our customers need in the way they need to consume them, we are investing in the most secure and resilient storage across our wholly owned and managed network of eight secure data centres.”

iomart’s treble winning fortnight started with its prestigious Global Telecoms Business (GTB) Innovation Award win for ‘Fixed Network Infrastructure Innovation’ for its investment in a private fibre network.

iomart Group plc Wins for Outstanding Business Growth at Digital Technology Awards

Posted on June 21, 2013


iomart rewarded for second year in row

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), is delighted to announce that it has picked up the award for Outstanding Performance in Business Growth at the Digital Technology Awards for the second year running.

trophies

The judges described iomart Group as “a fantastic success” and pointed to the 30% increase in turnover and 50% increase in profits over the past 12 months as a sign that iomart had truly transformed its business to become one of the leading providers of bespoke private and hybrid cloud solutions in the UK.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “We are delighted to be recognised by our peers in Scotland for the second year in a row and are confident that we can continue to grow our operations significantly over the coming years. By investing in our network and infrastructure we have positioned ourselves to take advantage as more and more businesses use cloud services.”

The Digital Technology Awards 2013 are organised by ICT trade organisation for Scotland ScotlandIS which says the industry contributes £4bn in GVA (Gross Value Added) to the Scottish economy and employs some 80,000 people.

Polly Purvis, Executive Director of ScotlandIS, commented: “This year has seen a consistent story across the board of increased activity internationally. Scotland is punching above its weight on the world stage and successfully penetrating international markets including the US and the Middle East.”

iomart Group’s cloud services brand iomartcloud recently concluded a deal with SHI International, one of the top 20 IT vendors in the United States, to deliver cloud backup solutions for its customers.
This entry was posted in Group News and tagged awards, cloud computing, cloud hosting, digital technology awards 2013, iomart Group plc, scotland IS by ioadmin. Bookmark the permalink.

iomart group PLC (IOM:LSE) set a new 52-week high during Thursday's trading session when it reached 254.00. Over this period, the share price is up 76.43%.

MIDAS UPDATE: Shares up by 118% at cloud computing firm iomart we tipped

By Joanne Hart, Financial Mail On Sunday

PUBLISHED: 22:20, 22 June 2013 | UPDATED: 22:20, 22 June 2013




Expansion: Chief executive Angus MacSween has invested heavily in cloud-based services and now the investment is paying off

Glasgow-based iomart is a true Scottish success story. One of Europe’s largest providers of cloud computing services, its profits have soared more than ten-fold since 2010.


We tipped iomart in November 2011 at 115p. Today the shares are 2503⁄4p and brokers believe there is still plenty of room for growth.


Iomart’s expansion reflects growing interest in cloud-based services, which enable companies to have all their internet-related activity managed by someone else rather than do it themselves.


Chief executive Angus MacSween has invested heavily in this area and now the investment is paying off. The company has more than 100,000 clients and the number is growing fast. Most are small firms, which pay £100 or so a year in exchange for email and basic website services.

MacSween is focusing on larger fry, however – bigger companies that use the internet to sell goods and services and need to be sure their sites are running 24 hours a day, seven days a week.


They pay tens of thousands of pounds a year and they include travel firms such as Skyscanner, train operators such as South West Trains and a host of holiday, video and online gaming groups.

At the end of May, iomart unveiled pre-tax profits up 56 per cent to £10.7 million for the year to March 31 and a 56 per cent increase in the dividend to 1.4p.


Brokers expect profits to rise to £13.3 million next year, accompanied by a 14 per cent lift in the dividend to 1.6p. MacSween is confident about growth, aiming to double iomart’s size over the next five years. This sounds ambitious, but its market is growing fast as more companies rely on the internet for trading.


Even now, every minute, 204 million emails are sent and Amazon sells £53,000 of goods online. By the end of the decade, these figures are forecast to increase substantially.


Midas verdict: iomart has made strong progress in recent years and looks set to continue doing so. Investors who bought in 2011 may want to sell 25 per cent of their shares to bank some profit but they should retain most and hope MacSween fulfils his ambition. As a 20 per cent shareholder himself, he is clearly motivated to do well. New investors could also take a punt at current levels.

Minecraft Game Server Host Launches 100th Dedicated Server with RapidSwitch

Posted on June 24, 2013


CreeperHost Introduces New Multiplayer Control Panel

Rapidly expanding Minecraft game server hosting company Creeperhost.net has launched its 100th dedicated server with RapidSwitch, part of cloud company iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM)

Creeperhost had just two servers when it moved to RapidSwitch a year ago after suffering support problems with its previous hosting company. It now has 100 managed dedicated servers housed and supported in RapidSwitch’s Maidenhead data centre as well as an additional three racks in RapidSwitch’s Nottingham data centre.

Lincolnshire-headquartered Creeperhost is looking to further expand its customer base after successfully introducing a control panel which allows customers root access to play multiple games on their own virtual private server by making one single payment. The control panel is a brand new concept in the industry which usually offers gamers only shared server experience.

Paul Taylor, founder and owner of Creeperhost, said: “We moved to RapidSwitch because of poor technical support – at one stage we had two weeks’ downtime with our previous hosting company. The guys at RapidSwitch are fantastic; we’ve not had a single problem. They’re really knowledgeable and go out of their way to help you.”

The RapidSwitch team custom-build powerful dual-processor servers for Creeperhost, providing redundant power supply and large amounts of RAM and storage capacity.

Neil Christie, Commercial Director for RapidSwitch, said: “We provide bespoke hardware platforms and a lowest latency network, allowing game server hosting companies like Creeperhost to offer the maximum online gaming experience to their customers.”

In total Creeperhost now has more than 5,000 game servers hosted in the UK, Europe and the US which are used by over 25,000 gamers with approximately 6,000 online at any one time.

To celebrate its 100th dedicated server with RapidSwitch, Creeperhost is offering a discount on its servers.

iomart group PLC (IOM:LSE) set a new 52-week high during today's trading session when it reached 264.00. Over this period, the share price is up 85.92%.

iomartcloud celebrates 10 years of Internet Watch Foundation membership

Posted on July 10, 2013


IWF Logoiomartcloud, iomart Group’s cloud solutions brand, is celebrating 10 years as a member of the Internet Watch Foundation.

As an industry partner, iomartcloud uses the daily list produced by the IWF to block known criminal child sexual abuse content from the computers, laptops, mobile phones and tablet devices used in the schools, businesses and other organisations across the UK that benefit from its services.

Netintelligence, iomartcloud’s award-winning and Government approved web filtering software, incorporates the websites highlighted by the IWF’s daily list so they can be blocked at the gateway. Netintelligence is the only such filtering software to be awarded the Child Safety Online Kitemark by the British Standards Institute, thanks to the outstanding levels of protection it provides.

Susie Hargreaves, IWF Chief Executive, says: “iomartcloud has been supporting the fight against online child sexual abuse content for a decade and for that the whole IWF team are immensely grateful. Since 2003 less than 1% of known child sexual abuse content has been hosted in the UK, dramatically down from 18% in 1996. By working together we have helped make the UK one of the harshest environments for hosting child sexual abuse content.

“iomartcloud’s on-going support and application of the IWF list will continue to protect their customers across the UK. I am delighted that our organisations have forged such a strong partnership since 2003 and hope this will continue for many decades to come.”

Netintelligence is powerful enough to provide protection to some of the most vulnerable users of the internet while being flexible enough to be adapted to suit the requirements of any organisation routinely using the internet for its business.

Bill Strain, director of iomartcloud, said: “Our membership of the Internet Watch Foundation is vital because iomartcloud’s products are used by businesses, schools and local authorities to protect their staff and employees from potentially criminal material on the internet. We’re proud to be a supporter of the IWF as it continues to lead the way in combating online child sexual abuse content.”

For more information about iomartcloud’s web filtering software visit: http://www.iomartcloud.com/web-filtering

To find out more about the work of the Internet Watch Foundation visit http://www.iwf.org.uk/

-ends-

Easyspace Partners With Online Accountants Crunch to Help Startups

Posted on July 15, 2013


Partnership offers Domain Name, Hosting and Financial Advice for New Business

Easyspace, one of the UK’s largest ICANN accredited domain name registrars and web hosting companies and part of iomart Group plc, has partnered with online accountants Crunch to support startup businesses.

The partnership will see Easyspace offer web hosting and domain name advice and packages while Crunch will provide advice on tax and finances, plus on-going accounting support for the UK’s fast-growing startups.

Sarah Haran, managing director of Easyspace, said: “We can provide the critical tools to get a startup business online in the first place, while Crunch has the expert knowledge on how to manage the financial side. Together we can provide the best advice and support possible to help lots of exciting new ventures get online and start trading successfully.”

Darren Fell, managing director of Crunch, continued: “We’re taking on more and more startups every day, so it seemed logical to find the very best technology partner to go alongside our financial and tax expertise. A website and an accountant are two absolute business essentials, so we’ve put together the best possible package.”

The partnership is being launched with a free seminar entitled ‘Accountancy In The Cloud‘ at Google Campus, Bonhill Street, London on Thursday 18 July. The event is especially for startup businesses and takes place from 6.30pm to 9:30pm. There is no need to register in advance, so you can just turn up.

Crunch offers a unique package combining phone advice from a team of expert accountants with easy-to-use online accounting software for a fixed monthly fee. It was founded by online entrepreneur Darren Fell, with investment from Bebo’s co-founder Paul Birch and former Skype Chairman Michael van Swaaij.

iomart Group News









iomart support widens pupil participation in University of Strathclyde Business Challenge

Posted on July 23, 2013


iomart Group sponsors innovative summer learning programme

Jan-McGhie-(far-L)-and-the-pupils-taking-part-in-the-iomart-sponsored-S@S-Business-Challenge1

iomart Group plc has helped a significant number of pupils to attend a learning programme run by the University of Strathclyde that helps widen access to higher education for teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Almost 120 pupils from secondary schools across Scotland have taken part in the University of Strathclyde’s S@S Accelerate Business & Enterprise Challenge since it was launched in 2009.

Bellshill Academy, Inverclyde Academy and Larkhall Academy are among the schools taking part in this year’s programme. During the five-day event, the pupils have the task of rebranding a well-known Scottish town and will present their results to a panel of industry and university experts. The sponsorship of iomart has enabled around 40 pupils to attend.

Iain Mitchell from the Innovative Routes to Learning (IRL) centre at the University of Strathclyde said: “We are delighted that iomart has pledged its support and that we are able to offer a significant number of places to pupils from schools with lower Higher Education participation rates”

Phil Worms, Director of Marketing for iomart Group, said: “As a company, it’s important that we support closer collaboration between higher education and our industry and encourage children to be confident about the learning and career choices they make.”

Jan McGhie, IRL’s Business Challenge Leader said: “We’re really delighted that iomart has supported us this year because the young people who take part do show significant improvements in their attitude to their existing academic ability. This gives them the confidence to undertake a university degree as a result.”

The University of Stratchclyde’s S@S Accelerate programme – which includes 13 separate subject areas – is particularly successful in engaging pupils from schools where participation in higher education is below the national average. In 2012, 57% of the 247 participants came from schools where Higher Education progression was below the national average.

The University of Strathclyde was named UK University of the Year in the 2012 Times Higher Education Awards. iomart Group plc is one of the UK’s leading providers of cloud and managed hosting services. Among its clients in the education sector is online learning provider ufi/learndirect.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



RapidSwitch dedicated hosting supports Xbox gamers social network boom

Posted on July 24, 2013


trueachievementsTrueAchievements celebrates 5th birthday with beta PlayStation network launch

RapidSwitch, the leading supplier of self-managed dedicated servers and part of iomart Group plc, has helped a social network for the Xbox gaming community hit huge visitor numbers on its fifth birthday.

TrueAchievements provides a more skill-related scoring method for Xbox games by re-calculating Xbox Live GamerScores using a formula related to the difficulty of the achievements that have been won. It gets 850,000 unique visitors a month and almost 20 million monthly page views.

TrueAchievements is hosted by RapidSwitch in its Maidenhead datacentre. It has grown from a single colocated 1U server to three leased servers, including one ‘behemoth’ created by the RapidSwitch technical team which has Dual Intel Xeon Hex-Core L5640; 128GB Memory; and 8 x 2.5″ 600GB 10k Hard Drives in RAID 10.

Rich Stone, developer of TrueAchievements, said: “The site now runs like a rocket. Number crunching jobs that were taking upwards of 14 hours to complete are now done and dusted in under two!”

Neil Christie, Commercial Director for RapidSwitch, explains, “RapidSwitch provides the bandwidth, low latency network and bespoke technical support that has helped TrueAchievements become the go-to Xbox community site. The site is online at all times, the hardware can withstand the huge demands placed upon it and most important of all, Rich and the TrueAchievements team know that we are there to support them as they grow.”

Rich Stone now has a PlayStation version of the site called TrueTrophies.com in beta and will be expanding his RapidSwitch infrastructure to cope with its expected popularity.

He said: “Launching a site with this much functionality is unprecedented in gaming. We’re in the process of testing everything thoroughly before we take the PlayStation world by storm!”

Melbourne Server Hosting is Headline Sponsor of Inaugural Mancoolian Awards

Posted on July 25, 2013


Award Winning Hosting Company Supports New Awards for Manchester Business

mancoolian award logoAward-winning Manchester server hosting company Melbourne has become the headline sponsor for a new set of awards which recognise the city’s individual business stars.

Melbourne has been signed up by business networking organisation Downtown Manchester in Business to support the Mancoolian Awards, a new set of awards that will honour the men and women of Manchester who have demonstrated entrepreneurial determination over the past 12 months.

Rob Greenwood, Technical & Commercial Director of Melbourne, said: “We are proud to provide web hosting for many of the companies that make Manchester tick. Sponsoring the first Mancoolian Awards allows us to shout about the talented individuals behind the companies who have helped this city maintain its position at the forefront of business in the UK.”

The Mancoolian Awards are being organised by Downtown Manchester in Business, the independent business club that provides leadership links between the private and public sector organisations in the city.

Michael Taylor, Chairman of Downtown Manchester in Business said: “Melbourne embodies the entrepreneurial spirit that is behind the inaugural Mancoolian Awards. We are excited to have them as our headline sponsor to honour the people who have demonstrated grit, determination and entrepreneurial flair during the past twelve months.”

The Mancoolian Awards will take place in October at the five star Lowry Hotel. Voting is now open for categories that range from ‘Sexy Networker’ to ‘Entrepreneur of the Year.’

Melbourne employs 30 staff at its datacentres on the Manchester Technopark and is part of the iomart Group plc, one of the UK’s leading cloud companies. Melbourne delivers 24/7 support for a wide range of customers and its offices were voted among the 10 coolest places to work by The Telegraph.

iomart Group plc Ranked European No1 Hosting Company in Top 100 Cloud Services Providers Report



http://news.iomart.com/iomart-group-plc-ranked-european-no1-hosting-company-in-top-100-cloud-services-providers-report/

RapidSwitch Launches Latest Generation Intel CPUs for Hosting Customers

Posted on August 5, 2013


Haswell Processors Give Better Server Speed and Reliability

RapidSwitch, one of the UK’s leading server hosting companies and part of iomart Group, has launched a new range of servers based on the Intel Haswell 4th Generation CPUs.

The new CPUs provide the biggest single generational gain in power efficiency in the history of x86 processors. Haswell are the fastest single socket processors in the market, offering 52% better performance per watt, and at 13 watts, the lowest-power Xeon ever. They also show significant performance improvements on graphics compared to the last generation chips.

RapidSwitch, which manages over 20,000 servers for a wide range of clients including Minecraft gamer hosting company Creeperhost and online publishing platform PageTiger, has the Intel E3-1230v3 CPU in stock, but can also provide any CPU in the new range.

Neil Christie, Commercial Director of RapidSwitch, said: “The combination of Intel’s trusted brand with a new range of processors built for advanced speed and reliability means our customers will get the ultimate performance from their server hardware.”

RapidSwitch was one of the first UK hosting companies to introduce 16 Core systems using Intel E5 Generation CPUs when they were first released and continues to push forward and bring clients the latest technology to power their hosting and cloud computing requirements.

Ex divi 7 Aug - payment 3 Sept 1.4p

iomart group PLC (IOM:LSE) set a new 52-week high during today's trading session when it reached 288.00. Over this period, the share price is up 82.28%.

iomart group PLC (IOM:LSE) set a new 52-week high during today's trading session when it reached 298.25. Over this period, the share price is up 86.41%

Acquisition of Redstation Limited

RNS


RNS Number : 2703N

Iomart Group PLC

05 September 2013




5 September 2013

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")



Acquisition of Redstation Limited ("Redstation")



iomart, the cloud computing company, is pleased to announce that it has acquired the entire issued share capital of Redstation on a cash-free/debt-free basis with normalised working capital.



£6.6m has been paid as an initial consideration, of which £5.1m has been paid in cash and £1.5m satisfied by the issue of 515,464 new ordinary shares. A further contingent consideration of up to £1.5m is potentially payable in cash subject to Redstation achieving certain profit targets in the period to end March 2014.



Redstation is a Hampshire based provider of dedicated servers and bandwidth. It operates a full sales, support and technical operation in Gosport with two freehold datacentres providing services to around 3,000 customers. Through the acquisition of Redstation, and operating alongside its existing Rapidswitch brand, this will significantly enhance iomart's position as one of the leading UK-based providers of dedicated servers housing approximately 20,000 physical servers on behalf of customers.



Redstation's turnover in the twelve months to 31 June 2013 was £5.2 million with an EBITDA1 of £2.4 million and net assets of £1.8 million. The initial consideration and any contingent consideration will be financed out of the Group's existing banking facilities and the acquisition is expected to be immediately earnings enhancing before acquisition costs and normal acquisition adjustments including any fair value adjustments and the amortisation of intangible assets.



Application has been made to the London Stock Exchange for the new ordinary shares, which will rank pari passu with the existing shares in issue, to be admitted to trading on AIM, and admission is expected to become effective on 10 September 2013. The Company's total issued share capital after the admission of the new ordinary shares will be 106,580,482 ordinary shares. There are 140,773 ordinary shares in the iomart Group plc Employee Benefit Trust and the Company holds 1,023,453 of its ordinary shares in treasury. Therefore the total number of ordinary shares with voting rights in the Company is 105,416,256. This figure of 105,416,256 ordinary shares may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change in their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.



Angus MacSween, Chief Executive stated:

"We are delighted to complement our continued organic growth through the acquisition of Redstation. The addition of Redstation will consolidate our position as the leading player in the dedicated server market in the UK.



"Redstation's customers deliver a wide variety of cloud applications and services from the physical servers they buy from them, further underpinning iomart's strategic goal of providing the 'picks and shovels' of the cloud environment through the provision of the complex infrastructure required."



1 EBITDA means earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation

5 Sep Canaccord... 300.00 Buy

Iomart: Canaccord Genuity ups target price from 272p to 300p and maintains a buy recommendation.

Yesterdays news just being digested. This share always takes a couple of days to react to good news.

Posted on September 9, 2013


UK Cloud Company Invests in Massive Onsite Storage Capability

vmax_storage


iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), has become one of the first cloud hosting companies in the world to install EMC® VMAX ® Cloud Edition platform, a self-service, enterprise-class as-a-service, cloud delivery platform, onsite in its data centre, giving its customers direct access to the world’s most comprehensive range of powerful, trusted and smart storage.

With the VMAX Cloud Edition solution, iomart is able to move away from a traditional model of shared storage and offer a range of pre-engineered service levels to satisfy a wide range of workloads. With automatic service delivery features on-demand, clients benefit from enterprise-class storage and the flexibility to provide the right result needed for their applications.

VMAX Cloud Edition leverages capabilities found in the EMC® VMAX® array, which is trusted by Fortune 50 companies and many of the world’s largest banks.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “We invested in VMAX Cloud Edition because we believe it’s important that our customers can manage their storage needs according to their requirements rather than us dictating what they can have. Not only does this put our storage capabilities on a par with some of the world’s biggest corporations, it gives our customers the ability to manage and move their workloads in any way they want through structured pricing bands.”

Matthew Yeager, Director of Software Engineering EMEA for EMC, commented: “We are delighted that iomart, already identified as a progressive and innovative partner through our Velocity™ Service Provider programme, has decided to extend its leading-edge customer centric services with VMAX Cloud Edition. Collectively we are most successful when we work with partners like iomart who have a clear idea of the services they wish to offer their customers.”

A video explaining what EMC VMAX Cloud Edition storage means for iomart’s customers can be viewed here

Digital Marketing Event Organiser ad:tech Moves to the iomart Cloud

Posted on September 10, 2013


iomart Provides Secure and Scalable UK cloud hosting

iomar_ad_tech_cloud_hosting

Glasgow, UK: ad:tech, the organiser of the world’s largest digital marketing conferences, has chosen CloudSure from iomart Hosting, a leading UK provider of bespoke cloud and managed hosting, to ensure a scalable and highly available web presence ahead of its annual London event.

Every year ad:tech stages ten global advertising and technology conferences and exhibitions which provide a forum for digital marketing trends and initiatives and are attended by thousands of digital professionals. ad:tech London takes place on September 11 – 12 at Olympia.

The company behind ad:tech, dmg::events, were hosting on a physical infrastructure with a web hosting company in the south of France but decided they needed more secure and flexible hosting in the UK. The Cloud gives them the ability to cope with peaks of interest around each of their events.

They now have a fully managed Cloud solution including, Server, Backup, Storage and Firewall on iomart Hosting’s high availability CloudSure platform.

James Drake Brockman, Head of EMEA, Digital Marketing for dmg::events, said: “When I took responsibility for ad:tech at the start of 2013 I ordered an audit of the technology we were using. As a UK based organisation I felt we should be hosting here. It was a quick and natural decision to go with the UK’s leading provider of cloud services and benefit from more flexible provisioning.”

Sarah Haran, Managing Director of iomart hosting, said: “We’re delighted to be providing cloud hosting for the leading organiser of digital marketing events around the world. CloudSure gives ad:tech the ability to cope quickly and efficiently with spikey traffic around the conferences and exhibitions it stages.”

Nice and steady, market digested the news.

RapidSwitch Provides Secure Cloud Hosting for Documents Online

Posted on September 16, 2013


Electronic Document Management Company Chooses Secure Private Cloud

shutterstock_111009062

iomart Group dedicated hosting brand RapidSwitch, has been selected by Documents Online to host its new affordable electronic document management (EDM) software in a secure, private cloud.

Documents Online, which is part of information management specialists IPC Group and based in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, has launched a new package of cloud-based EDM software which uses icons rather than the traditional ‘tree structure’ that most systems use. The company’s customers range from payroll specialists to intellectual property consultants so it needed a reliable and secure environment in which to host the new software.

Graham Light, Director of Documents Online, said: “Customers trust us to store thousands of important documents such as contracts, invoices and purchase orders. Having our new software securely hosted on a private cloud in RapidSwitch’s UK data centre means those customers can relax, knowing that we control and support the software for them twenty four hours a day.”

Documents Online carries out all work remotely via the web from initial demonstrations to system specification and set up, right through to training. Its key requirements from RapidSwitch were sophisticated monitoring, KVM over IP availability, dedicated network firewall and security features, an easy-to-use control panel and 24/7 support.

Neil Christie, Commercial Director of RapidSwitch, said: “We were able to deploy a ready-to-run high availability private cloud environment for Documents Online so they could meet the strict security regulations surrounding their customer’s requirements while at the same time allowing round-the-clock access to their data.”

RapidSwitch hosts thousands of servers for a wide range of clients at its data centre in Maidenhead, Berkshire. It has a reputation for excellence in customer service with technical support provided 24/7/365. Clients include streaming service providers, gaming companies, voice over IPs (VOIP) and global media broadcasters.

Good to see no great sell off today, as Shares suggests take profits but keep half of your original stake to maintain exposure. Not selling mine.

Five growing UK software companies

By Jessica Furseth | Fri, 20th September 2013 - 17:11


Iomart

Cloud computing specialist Iomart (IOM) has seen its shares climb steadily in 2013, supported by an upbeat outlook at May's full-year results. "We continue to be well placed to deliver an ever-wider range of cloud services and with our growing credibility and strength we expect to be able to penetrate further into the corporate environment," said CEO Angus MacSween.

Revenues grew 29% to £43 million, while adjusted pre-tax profits grew 56% to £10.7 million.

Iomart, which provides hosting and managed services, aims to add further acquisitions to an already active shopping schedule, as the Glasgow company positions itself to take advantage of the data boom.





http://www.iii.co.uk/articles/116866/five-growing-uk-software-companies

iomart subsidiary RapidSwitch establishes Points of Presence in the United States

Posted on September 23, 2013


iomart Group’s dedicated server brand expands network to North America

RapidSwitch US PoPs- map








RapidSwitch, the leading European supplier of self-managed dedicated server solutions and part of UK cloud company iomart Group plc, has extended its network into the United States.

RapidSwitch has established Points of Presence (PoPs) in Atlanta, Phoenix, Boston, Los Angeles, Dallas, New Jersey and Chicago, creating a transatlantic network connection for UK customers who require multi-geographic platforms across the globe.

Covering the East and West coasts of the US is of paramount importance for delivering low-latency bandwidth to customers across the whole of the country, which is a far greater challenge than in the UK due to the sheer size difference between the two regions.

Neil Christie, Commercial Director of RapidSwitch, said: “We are now offering a secure inter-linked network connection, primarily for UK customers who want to deliver secure, global platforms without the worry of building relationships with multiple providers in different time zones.”

RapidSwitch hosts thousands of servers for a wide range of clients and has a reputation for excellence in customer service with technical support provided 24x7x365.

RapidSwitch is part of iomart Group plc which has one of the largest and fastest networks in the UK serving clients include streaming service providers, gaming companies, voice over IPs (VOIP) and global media broadcasters. This national MPLS-enabled network enables private circuits to be provided to customers not only between the datacentre sites but directly to their own locations.

Acquisition, Trading Update and Notice of Results

RNS


RNS Number : 3418P

Iomart Group PLC

01 October 2013




1st October 2013

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")



Acquisition, Trading Update and Notice of Results



iomart, the cloud computing company, is pleased to announce the acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Backup Technology Holdings Limited and its wholly owned subsidiary ("BTL"), a leading provider of cloud data backup and disaster recovery services. The Company also provides an update on trading ahead of the announcement of half yearly results for the six months to 30 September 2013.



Acquisition of Backup Technology

The total consideration paid for BTL is £23m, satisfied through an initial consideration of £17.5m in cash and £3.5m from the issue of 1,205,857 new ordinary shares. A further deferred consideration of £2.0m is payable in cash on 31 January 2014.



Based in Leeds, BTL boasts an impressive customer portfolio of 200 enterprise clients including Siemens, British Red Cross, Lloyds Register, Suzuki and Pernod Ricard as well as Liverpool and Everton football clubs. Established in 2005 BTL now protects many Petabytes of data for clients. BTL has been a leader in cloud backup up since it was founded and has established a solid, well regarded, growing business providing an increasingly important element of a business's IT infrastructure.



For the twelve months ended 31 December 2012, BTL delivered turnover of £5.2m with an EBITDA1 of £2.4m and net assets of £2.3m. The cash consideration will be financed out of new banking facilities and the acquisition is expected to be immediately earnings enhancing before acquisition costs and normal acquisition adjustments including any fair value adjustments and the amortisation of intangible assets.



Current Trading

Trading in the first half of the year remains strong, with revenue and profits substantially ahead of the comparative period last year and in line with current consensus market expectations.



The Group continues to successfully execute on its focussed growth strategy of providing high quality and high margin managed solutions to corporate customers. With an expanding range of cloud services, through both organic and acquisitive means, iomart continues to build its reputation as the UK's leading cloud computing company.



Today's acquisition of BTL follows the acquisition earlier this month of dedicated server provider, Redstation, and the early integration of that business is progressing as planned.



Customer demand for iomart's services remains strong and growing, as the market increasingly shifts toward the provision of products and services over the internet. Strong market drivers, combined with high levels of visibility and customer renewals, leaves the Board optimistic for continued success.



Angus MacSween, Chief Executive of iomart, stated: "We are pleased with the continuing strong performance of iomart. The addition of BTL to the Group will further broaden and diversify our cloud-based offerings and enhance our position in the market. I look forward to the second half of the year and remain very confident in the growth prospects of the business."



Banking Facility



The cash consideration for the acquisition of BTL has been financed by a £35m debt package from Bank of Scotland made up of a £15m Term Loan and a £20m Revolving Credit Facility. Of the total facilities of £35m the company has drawn down £32.5m. £14m of this has been used to repay existing bank facilities and the balance has been used to finance the acquisition.



The Board believes the willingness of Bank of Scotland to provide the debt further underlines the Group's strong attractiveness to lenders.



The net debt position of the Company following this transaction will be approximately £26m. The Board anticipates that the cash generative nature of the existing business which will be further enhanced by this acquisition will enable all debt service metrics to be met and allow the Group to repay debt going forwards as it falls due.



Additional Listing



Application has been made to the London Stock Exchange for the new ordinary shares, which will rank pari passu with the existing shares in issue, to be admitted to trading on AIM, and admission is expected to become effective on 4 October 2013. The Company's total issued share capital after the admission of the new ordinary shares will be 107,786,339 ordinary shares. There are 140,773 ordinary shares in the iomart Group plc Employee Benefit Trust and the Company holds 1,023,453 of its ordinary shares in treasury. Therefore the total number of ordinary shares with voting rights in the Company is 106,622,113. This figure of 106,622,113 ordinary shares may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change in their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.



Notice of results



The Group expects to report half yearly results for the six months ending 30 September 2013 on 10th December 2013.

Iomart: Canaccord Genuity downgrades from buy to hold with an unchanged target price of 300p.

1 Oct Finncap 320.00 Buy


1 Oct N+1 Singer N/A Buy

Shares today -

Three is magic number for Iomart


Typical, Iomart (IOM:AIM) says virtually nothing for months, then along come three announcements at once. But analogies to buses are not really fair, this company is more sleek, chauffeur-driven Bentley that puttering public transport. As today’s trading update spells out, business is typically brisk and moving forward, built on that compelling and growing IT hosting and services outsourcing theme.

Today’s £23 million acquisition of Backup Technology Holdings (BTL) plays the same tune, bringing blue-chips client such as Siemens, the British Red Cross, Lloyds, Suzuki, even Liverpool and Everton football clubs, both currently flying high in the Premier League.

Last year to December, BTL achieved £5.2 million of revenue and £2.4 million earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for a 46% margin, matching last month’s Redstation deal.

Today’s take-out price is substantially higher, pitched at 9.6-times trailing EBITDA compared to the 3.4-times EBITDA of Redstation and typical four to six-times ratings of past acquisitions.

If BTL’s 200-odd clients can help prop-up Iomart’s own sprialing 38% measure EBITDA margins, reported last year to March, perhaps the price will prove a moot point.

The third interesting development centres around Iomart management’s plans to flog £11.8 million worth of stock via a book build placing. This is arguably the biggest factor in the shares near 3% slip today to 282p. But chief executive and founder Angus MacSween, who alone is selling £10 million worth, has not been a regular seller despite the shares incredible 10-fold four-year run from 28p.

IOMART GROUP - Comparison Line Chart (Rebased to first)

He says he wants to ‘rebalance his portfolio and utilise his entrepreneurs’ relief.’ That seems quite reasonable as any business builder must at some stage get the chance to crystalise their hard graft. He’s only selling about a fifth of his overall stake, as well as promising not to do it again… well, not until at least after full year results for 2015.

iomart Offers Greater Range of Cloud Services To UK Government G-Cloud 4

Posted on October 29, 2013


Adds Private and Hybrid Cloud plus Data Centre and Colocation Services to CloudStore

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), will be offering an expanded range of cloud and colocation hosting services to the UK public sector after being selected for G-Cloud 4, the fourth iteration of the pre-approved group of Cloud ICT suppliers to the UK Government.

iomart has added its expertise in the bespoke provisioning of private and hybrid cloud solutions to the CloudStore catalogue as well as offering data centre and colocation services. The new services can be found under the sections for Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS); Platform As A Service (PaaS); and Software As A Service (SaaS) for which iomart was accredited earlier this year when it was selected for G Cloud iii.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “As cloud becomes the de facto delivery mechanism for IT services, we are finding that public sector organisations are being much more specific about the type of cloud hosting services they are seeking from the G Cloud catalogue. We have expanded our range to reflect the significant expertise we have in these areas.

“In addition, we have also been accredited for data centre and colocation services, ensuring that we can offer prospective public sector clients the opportunity to utilise our nationwide estate of eight data centre locations and pan UK fibre network. This is particularly important as more and more Government organisations are seeking IT outsourcing disaster recovery and off-site storage solutions with trusted suppliers.”

iomart’s existing public sector clients include one of the UK’s biggest housing associations as well as a range of councils and education providers.

iomart specialises in the delivery and management of bespoke mission-critical private and hybrid cloud and managed IT infrastructures as well as providing cloud services such as storage, backup and security solutions.

iomartcloud partners Exinda to Protect Enterprises and Schools from Growing Cybersecurity Threats

Posted on November 27, 2013


Web Content Filter and Malware Protection Provides Safe Online Environment

iomartcloud, a leading supplier of business critical hosted cloud services and part of iomart Group plc, has partnered with Exinda, a global provider of next-generation WAN Optimization and Network Control solutions, to deliver an innovative web filtering solution to enterprise networks and primary and secondary schools.

As a result of increased online collaboration and mobile device expansion in the workplace, the risk of employees and students accessing inappropriate content on the network is growing. In response Exinda has launched the Exinda Content Filter which integrates the content filtering capabilities from iomartcloud into its WAN Optimization and Network Control appliances which have helped over 3,000 organizations worldwide deliver safe and reliable end user experiences.

Bill Strain, director of iomartcloud, said: “This is a very important partnership with a global leader in WAN Optimization and Network Control. It means our web filtering software will be delivered through a single network appliance for the first time. Businesses and organizations across the globe will be able to add web filtering to their network quickly and affordably at any level, from the gateway right down to the individual device, according to their requirements.”

The cloud-based Exinda Content Filter will provide IT managers with the ability to block access to prohibited content, prevent staff and students from downloading and sharing copyrighted material, and eliminate misuse of the network. With its best in class reporting tools, Exinda Content filter enables IT staff to monitor users and applications on or off the network, and set intelligent policies that restrict unauthorised behaviour.

iomartcloud works with a number of US and global service providers to deliver business-critical cloud solutions. Earlier this year SHI International Corp., one of America’s top 20 IT solutions providers, chose iomartcloud’s enterprise cloud platform to deliver reliable and flexible backup solutions for its customers.

iomartcloud’s Web Filter product is accredited for Child Safety Online by the British Standards Institute.

QA Software Saves Money with Powerful Hosting from iomart

Posted on November 28, 2013


AEC, Utilities and Oil & Gas SaaS Provider Saves £30,000
iomart Hosting, one of Europe’s leading providers of complex cloud and managed hosting services to the enterprise market and part of iomart Group, has helped QA Software, a leading global Software as a Service provider, to save at least £30,000 by migrating it to an improved and more powerful hosting platform.

QA Software develops information management solutions for the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC), Utilities and Oil & Gas industries.

The successful and growing company needed a fully upgraded and more powerful solution combining speed of application and SQL data base, resilience and capacity, with disaster recovery. QA Software went to market and picked iomart for the mix of managed and colocation services it needed.

Brian Dodsworth, Managing Director of QA Software, said: “iomart was the obvious choice for us. The flexible service level agreement meant we could use the service efficiently and it has resulted in a significant cost saving. We believe we will have saved in excess of £30,000 by switching our hosting to iomart over the initial three years of our contract.”

Paul Stuart, Head of IT for QA Software, added: “With the assistance of iomart’s technical team we were able to design and implement a solution that met all of our requirements. The transition to iomart was very smooth. We experienced no downtime or problems during implementation.”

Sarah Haran, managing director of iomart Hosting, said: “QA Software needed a secure and reliable hosting platform incorporating disaster recovery because of the mission critical nature of the work they do for their clients. Our migration team worked with them to complete the upgrade and the move to our London data centre in four weeks without any downtime.”

iomart Group: N+1 Singer downgrades from buy to hold, while raising its target price to 282p.

iomartcloud Secures £100,000 Contract with Government Digital Service

Posted on December 5, 2013


iomart Wins First G-Cloud Contract

iomartcloud, iomart Group’s business critical hosted cloud services brand, has won a £100,000 year-long contract from the Government Digital Service (GDS) to provide cloud services for the GOV.UK government services web portal.

iomartcloud, in partnership with traditional IT supplier Viglen, was given the contract following an award placed under the government’s G-Cloud framework.

iomartcloud will be providing virtual machines, EMC VMAX storage and backup which GDS will be able to manage via VMware vCloud Director, which allows elastic compute provision while maintaining security and control.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “I am delighted that iomartcloud has been selected as one of the main suppliers for GOV.UK. This is our first major contract win under the G Cloud framework and underlines our ability to provide the scalable and flexible infrastructure to support the most complex public sector projects. It also shows that G-Cloud is opening up the opportunity for a wider group of cloud services providers to successfully compete for government contracts.”

Michael Ruddick, Head of Channel EMEA for iomartcloud, added: “The contract with the Government Digital Service also underlines the shift that’s taking place towards cloud service providers working to provide more efficient and cost-effective solutions to the public as well as the private sector.”

GOV.UK is the single domain for government services that went live in October 2012. It averages over nine million weekly visits. The website won the prestigious “Design of the Year” award this year and was described by Prime Minister David Cameron as an example of “world class design talent” which enhanced “the modern relationship between the public and government.”

The G-Cloud Framework makes it easier for government departments and the wider public sector to buy cloud based services from a list of suppliers including SMEs through an online marketplace called Cloudstore. All of the products and companies are listed side by side creating a level playing field and opening up more opportunities for suppliers to compete on like-for-like terms.

iomartcloud and Viglen have joint presence on the G-Cloud 4 Framework and offer a wide range of cloud based services for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS); Platform as a Service (PaaS); and Software as a Service (SaaS).

Interims Tues 10 Dec

RNS


RNS Number : 0991V

Iomart Group PLC

10 December 2013








10 December 2013

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Half Yearly Results



iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated half yearly results for the period ended 30 September 2013.



FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Revenue growth of 23% to £24.6m (H1 2013: £19.9m)

· Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 29% to £9.8m (H1 2013: £7.6m)

· Adjusted profit before tax2 growth of 29% to £6.3m (H1 2013: £4.9m)

· Adjusted basic earnings per share3 from operations increased by 35% to 4.89p (H1 2013: 3.61p)

· Cashflow from operations increased by 43% to £9.1m (H1 2013: £6.4m)

· Adjusted EBITDA1 margins increased to 40% (H1 2013: 38%)

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Increased European footprint and dedicated server expertise through the acquisition of Redstation Limited for a maximum consideration of £8.1m

· Acquired major presence in the Cloud backup and disaster recovery market through the acquisition of Backup Technology Holdings Limited for a total consideration of £23.0m

· Continued progress on the fit out of additional 600 racks of datacentre space in Maidenhead



Statutory Equivalents



The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:



· Profit before tax growth of 6% to £4.4m (H1 2013: £4.1m)

· Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 12% to 3.39p (H1 2013: 3.03p)



Angus MacSween, CEO commented,



"Trading in the second half of the year has begun well and we continue to win business from new and existing customers. We remain confident of achieving another successful year of significant growth in line with the upgraded market expectations.



"We also continue to invest in our people and infrastructure as we evolve and grow. This will ensure we are well positioned to take advantage of the still largely untapped corporate cloud market, and further fuel the growth we have enjoyed in recent years.



"With increased capacity, geographical presence and additional expertise in high growth cloud services we look forward with confidence."





1 Throughout this statement adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) before share based payment charges and acquisition costs. Throughout this statement acquisition costs are defined as acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition integration costs.

2 Throughout this statement adjusted profit before tax is profit before tax, amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, share based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was repaid early in the period and acquisition costs.

3 Throughout this statement adjusted earnings per share is earnings per share before amortisation charges on acquired intangible

assets, share based payment charges, mark to market adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was repaid early in the period and acquisition costs, including the taxation effect of these.

RNS


RNS Number : 0991V

Iomart Group PLC

10 December 2013








10 December 2013

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Half Yearly Results



iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated half yearly results for the period ended 30 September 2013.



FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Revenue growth of 23% to £24.6m (H1 2013: £19.9m)

· Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 29% to £9.8m (H1 2013: £7.6m)

· Adjusted profit before tax2 growth of 29% to £6.3m (H1 2013: £4.9m)

· Adjusted basic earnings per share3 from operations increased by 35% to 4.89p (H1 2013: 3.61p)

· Cashflow from operations increased by 43% to £9.1m (H1 2013: £6.4m)

· Adjusted EBITDA1 margins increased to 40% (H1 2013: 38%)

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Increased European footprint and dedicated server expertise through the acquisition of Redstation Limited for a maximum consideration of £8.1m

· Acquired major presence in the Cloud backup and disaster recovery market through the acquisition of Backup Technology Holdings Limited for a total consideration of £23.0m

· Continued progress on the fit out of additional 600 racks of datacentre space in Maidenhead



Statutory Equivalents



The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:



· Profit before tax growth of 6% to £4.4m (H1 2013: £4.1m)

· Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 12% to 3.39p (H1 2013: 3.03p)



Angus MacSween, CEO commented,



"Trading in the second half of the year has begun well and we continue to win business from new and existing customers. We remain confident of achieving another successful year of significant growth in line with the upgraded market expectations.



"We also continue to invest in our people and infrastructure as we evolve and grow. This will ensure we are well positioned to take advantage of the still largely untapped corporate cloud market, and further fuel the growth we have enjoyed in recent years.



"With increased capacity, geographical presence and additional expertise in high growth cloud services we look forward with confidence."





1 Throughout this statement adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) before share based payment charges and acquisition costs. Throughout this statement acquisition costs are defined as acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition integration costs.

2 Throughout this statement adjusted profit before tax is profit before tax, amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, share based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was repaid early in the period and acquisition costs.

3 Throughout this statement adjusted earnings per share is earnings per share before amortisation charges on acquired intangible

assets, share based payment charges, mark to market adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was repaid early in the period and acquisition costs, including the taxation effect of these.

A hold in this weeks IC - Group underlying half year pre-tax profit jumped an impressive 29% year on year to £6.3m and cash flow from operations soared 43% to £9.2m. Data hosting was the group's star performer in the period- revenue there climbed 31% year on year to £19.1m, with organic growth in the high teens and the rest coming from acquisitions. Hosting's cash profit rose by a third to £8.7m and the divisional profit margin improved to 46% from 45%. However, progress at the Easyspace business - which offers email and domain names to SMEs - was rather more sedate. Revenue there grew 3% to £5.5m, while cash profit rose marginally to £2.42m

Melbourne and Photolink Celebrate a Year of Collaboration in Retail

Posted on December 16, 2013


Content Agency and Hosting Provider Deliver Reliable Digital Engagement for Brands

iomart’s Manchester-based cloud and managed hosting company Melbourne Server Hosting is celebrating a year of collaboration with Photolink, the city’s hugely successful creative content agency. Together they have delivered new digital platforms for a number of exciting retail brands.

In the past twelve months the two companies have worked together on creating content rich, consumer friendly and highly accessible websites for UK-wide hair salon chains Regis Salons and Supercuts, as well as Photolink’s in-house ecommerce brand Little Black Dress.

Paul Casey, Digital Account Manager for Photolink, said: “Retail is incredibly fast moving so we need server hosting that can cope with the huge amount of refreshment needed to update content for our clients and keep consumers engaged. The team at Melbourne have great technical expertise but they also have a fantastic creative approach to working with an agency like us.

“Everything we do is about brand reputation for our clients so our hosting has to be 100 per cent reliable and that’s what Melbourne delivers.”

Photolink is an award-winning retail brand communications agency specialising in the creation of visual and digital content and multi-channel marketing strategies for the likes of John Lewis, Tesco and Argos. It has offices in Manchester, London and Mumbai and was recently chosen by UK Trade & Investment to represent the British creative industry overseas.

Rob Greenwood, Technical Services Manager for Melbourne, said: “This Christmas is expected to be the biggest for online spending so we’re delighted to provide support for Photolink at such an important time in the retail calendar. We take the same innovative yet technical approach to providing the right hosting solutions for them as they do in creating the right digital content for their clients. We’re looking forward to working together on a number of exciting new ecommerce projects in 2014.”

iomart celebrates its 15th birthday

Posted on December 18, 2013


iomart marks 15 years of delivering cloud and managed hosting services

Today iomart is delighted to be celebrating 15 years in business. It was on December 18th 1998 that the company was founded as an integrated internet and communications company by Scottish entrepreneur Angus MacSween to provide internet access and web hosting services to the UK.

From the early days of dial up to the cloud services of today, iomart has evolved to ensure that it delivers the cloud and managed hosting services that UK and European business and organisations require.

iomart started out with a small call centre in Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides. Today it employs over 300 staff and owns and manages state-of-the-art data centres in eight locations across the UK connected by a 40 Gigabit private fibre network. It protects over 15 petabytes of data for customers.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “iomart has invested in its infrastructure and its people to create one of the leading cloud companies in the UK and Europe. We will continue to focus on providing meaningful Service Level Agreements for our customers and working with them to deliver the bespoke support they need to be successful in their chosen markets.

“I would like to thank the staff at iomart and its associated companies for their continuing hard work and support as we look forward to another successful year ahead.”

Shares - Iomart is hoping to continue its recent acquisition spree early next year and possible overseas moves are under consideration for the first time.
The slide to 250p looks like a useful chance to climb aboard once more and we suspect the generally neutral market stance may prove too cautious.

Photographers Focus on New Generic Top-Level Domains with Easyspace

Posted on January 7, 2014


.Photos, .Photography and .Camera Are Popular New gTLDs



Easyspace, one of the UK’s largest domain name providers and part of iomart Group, has reported a surge in interest for photography-related extensions among the new ICANN generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs).

gtld-adv2

Easyspace has created a new TLD registration website, to allow customers to build up a virtual shopping basket of the new domain name extensions they are interested in.

The most popular group of new domains so far is extensions which reference the art of photography such as .photos, .photography and .camera as well as .gallery. These new gTLDs will ultimately sit alongside existing domains, such as .com.

Sarah Haran, Managing Director of Easyspace, said: “A photograph is one of the most powerful forms of communication in the digital age so if you are a photographer or you sell the technology they use it makes sense to identify yourself as closely with it as possible so you can stand out and share what you do with a wider audience on the internet.”

It is free to register interest in one of the new gTLDs with Easyspace while they are in the initial Sunrise phase which allows trademark holders to protect their brands. The Sunrise phase for Dot Camera, Dot Photography and Dot Gallery ends on 31st January. They then move into Landrush on 5th February before becoming available to the general public in General Availability on 12th February.

With hundreds of new generic TLDs being made available over the next few months, the Easyspace website gives a breakdown of what the different launch periods mean. The website also allows customers to search for specific domain extensions that are yet to be released.

There is also a separate section for trademark holders about registering with the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH), which is a requirement for anyone wishing to register their new domain during Sunrise.

Recovering very well.

Multiplay Chooses RapidSwitch to Power UK Expansion

Posted on February 4, 2014


Online Games Service Provider Turns to iomart Dedicated Server Specialist


iomart Group plc’s dedicated server brand RapidSwitch has been selected by Multiplay, one of the world’s largest hosts of online gaming servers, to power its expansion in the UK.

RapidSwitch will provide Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) for Multiplay as the global gaming service provider looks to grow its customer base in the UK. RapidSwitch has already installed a range of servers for Multiplay in its Maidenhead data centre to provide UK-based hosting for games like EA Battlefield 4 and games with large community followings, such as Minecraft, Rust, and DayZ. RapidSwitch’s ‘on-demand’ approach to the deployment of physical hardware mimics the scalability of virtualised platforms but with the full power of a physical system.

Will Lowther, Head of Online at Multiplay, said: “Our target is to grow our customer base in the UK, particularly among makers of independent games, so we need a reliable and flexible hosting partner who can set up new and powerful infrastructure on demand. That’s why we chose RapidSwitch because it has the technical and management expertise to provision the hardware needed to support maximum online gaming experience in the most cost efficient way.”

Multiplay hosts one of the biggest online gaming networks in the world incorporating over 25,000 servers at 27 locations across the globe. It works with high-level developers to the consumers who purchase and play their products. RapidSwitch has created an infrastructure for Multiplay to service development in one of its biggest regions, the UK, based on latest generation Dell servers to deliver the best performance.

Neil Christie, Commercial Director for RapidSwitch, said: “The ‘on demand’ infrastructure model we are providing for Multiplay ensures an unrivalled level of performance of physical hardware but with complete flexibility over the availability of each system. Whatever the game’s requirements are, we can create the bespoke infrastructure needed to ensure the best consumer experience and, together with Multiplay’s innovative software platform, deliver the optimum gaming experience for maximum enjoyment.”

Pre-close Trading Statement and Notice of Results

RNS


RNS Number : 1858D

Iomart Group PLC

26 March 2014






Date: 26 March 2014

On behalf of: iomart Group plc ("iomart" or the "Group")

Embargoed until: 0700hrs

iomart Group plc

Pre-close Trading Statement and Notice of Results

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to provide its pre-close trading statement for the year ending 31 March 2014 ahead of the announcement of its full year results.



Group Trading Performance

The Board is delighted to report that iomart has achieved a very strong set of results.

For the year to 31 March 2014, the Group expects to show adjusted EBITDA(1) of approximately £23.6 million (FY2013: £16.4 million) and adjusted(2) profit before tax of around £14.5 million (FY2013: £10.6 million) both slightly ahead of market consensus expectations.

Over the period, the Group has delivered strong organic growth combined with good performances from its acquired businesses, and the Board anticipates these dual drivers of growth continuing in the future.



Operations

The Hosting segment has continued to win a substantial amount of new business over the year, as the Group continues to benefit from the growing adoption of cloud services by organisations that need a strong partner with the necessary infrastructure to provide the certainty, scalability and flexibility they are looking for. Hosting also benefitted from the contribution of Redstation, and Backup Technology, the cloud backup business, both of which were acquired in September 2013. Both businesses have been successfully integrated into the Group.

Easyspace has performed in line with expectations over the year.

Notice of Results

The Group expects to report its full year results for the year ending 31 March 2014 on Wednesday 28 May 2014.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, stated:

"iomart has enjoyed another year of good organic growth, buoyed further by our recent acquisitions. There is no doubt that we are seeing a long term shift towards a cloud dominated technology landscape, and we are well positioned to take advantage of that."

iomart: FinnCap lowers target price from 340p to 330p, while staying with its buy recommendation.

Tipped in this weeks Shares.

Finals Wed 28 May

RNS


RNS Number : 1647I

Iomart Group PLC

28 May 2014








28 May 2014

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Final Results for the Year ended 31 March 2014



iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated final results for the year ended 31 March 2014.



FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Revenue growth of 29% to £55.6m (2013: £43.1m)



· Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 43% to £23.6m (2013: £16.5m)



· Adjusted profit before tax growth2 of 37% to £14.6m (2013: £10.7m)



· Adjusted basic earnings per share3 from operations increased by 29% to 10.95p (2013: 8.46p)



· Cashflow from operations increased by 62% to £24.0m (2013: £14.8m)



· Adjusted EBITDA1 margins increased to 42% (2013: 38%)



· Proposed final dividend increased by 25% to 1.75p per share (2013: 1.40p per share)

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Increased European footprint and dedicated server expertise through the acquisition of Redstation Limited for a maximum consideration of £8.1m



· Acquired major presence in the Cloud backup and disaster recovery market through the acquisition of Backup Technology Holdings Limited for a total consideration of £23.0m



· Completion of fit out of around 600 racks of datacentre space in Maidenhead



Statutory Equivalents



The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:



· Profit before tax growth of 12% to £9.7m (2013: £8.7m)

· Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 6% to 7.30p (2013: 6.91p)





1 Throughout this statement adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) before share based payment charges and acquisition costs. Throughout this statement acquisition costs are defined as acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition integration costs.

2 Throughout this statement adjusted profit before tax is profit before tax, amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, shared based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facilities which were repaid early during the year and acquisition costs.

3 Throughout this statement adjusted basic earnings per share is earnings per share before amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, shared based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facilities which were repaid early during the year and acquisition costs, including the taxation effect of these.





Angus MacSween, CEO commented,



"We continue to be well placed to deliver an ever wider range of cloud services to our increasing customer base. With our growing reputation and ongoing investment in leading edge technologies alongside our own development skills, we are well positioned for further significant growth. I look forward, once again, with confidence to the year ahead

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iomart Group: FinnCap lowers target price from 330p to 325p and maintains a buy recommendation.

Naked Trader today - Anyway one looked interested to me and that is cloud computing group Iomart (LON:IOM) - it carries a bit more risk than my usual ones as it is tech related and can be volatile, moving fast.

Still, I have taken that risk and bought some at 206 yesterday.

Its last statement was bullish so I have added them on some recent weakness in the share price. For a high tech share they are not on a massive rating and at least there are real profits which are climbing sharply. My plan is to hold onto them unless the price dips well below 200p in which case would probably sell and take a small loss and try an entry price lower down sometime.

Iomart rejects two approaches

Host Europe Holdings, a company controlled by funds managed by Cinven Capital Management (V) General Partner (of which Cinven Partners LLP ("Cinven") is the adviser) has announced that it is considering a possible offer for iomart.

Iomart has said that twice in June the independent directors received approaches from Cinven regarding possible cash offers for the company at levels of 275p and 285p per iomart share respectively.

They concluded that both offers undervalued iomart and both were rejected.

At 11:55am:
(LON:IOM) Iomart Group PLC share price was +21p at 256p

24 Jul SP Angel 300.00 Buy

Steven Frazer
‏@SharesMagSteve Iomart #IOM Confirms Cinven 275p & 285p offers rejected June, gotta be talking 375p-400p min, P/E Mar'16 15x... zero premium now, deserved

25 Jul finnCap 325.00 Buy

Statement re Rule 2.6 Extension

RNS


RNS Number : 5195P

Iomart Group PLC

19 August 2014






iomart Group plc ("iomart" or the "Company")



Statement re Rule 2.6 Extension



In accordance with Rule 2.4(c) of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers ("the Code"), Host Europe Holdings Ltd ("Host") a company controlled by funds managed by Cinven Capital Management (V) General Partner Limited (of which Cinven Partners LLP ("Cinven") is the adviser) was required, pursuant to Rule 2.6(a) of the Code, by 5.00 p.m. on 21 August 2014 (the "relevant deadline"), to either (i) announce a firm intention to make an offer for iomart in accordance with Rule 2.7 of the Code or (ii) announce that it does not intend to make an offer for iomart.



In accordance with Rule 2.6(c) of the Code, at the request of the Independent Directors of the Company, following receipt of an indicative proposal from Cinven regarding a possible offer for iomart at a price of 300 pence per share in cash, the Panel on Takeovers & Mergers (the "Panel") has consented to an extension of the relevant deadline, until 5.00 p.m. on 16 September 2014 to enable Cinven to conduct initial due diligence and enable the parties to conclude their ongoing discussions.



This is an announcement falling under Rule 2.6 of the Code. It does not represent a firm intention to make an offer under Rule 2.7 of the Code. This statement is being made by the Company without the prior agreement of Cinven and there can be no certainty that any offer will be made nor, if an offer is made, as to the price or other terms on which any offer might be made.

Offer Talks Terminated

RNS


RNS Number : 7372R

Cinven

15 September 2014






NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION



15 September 2014



Statement regarding iomart Group plc ("iomart")



On 19 August 2014, Host Europe Holdings Ltd. ("Host") confirmed that it had approached iomart regarding a possible recommended cash offer.

Host has subsequently terminated these discussions and confirms that it is no longer considering making an offer for iomart.

As a consequence of this announcement, Host will, except with the consent of the Takeover Panel, be bound by the restrictions on making an offer for iomart contained in Rule 2.8 of the UK Takeover Code for six months from the date of this announcement. However, Host reserves the right to make an offer in the circumstances set out in Note 2 on Rule 2.8 of the UK Takeover Code.

In accordance with Rule 30.4 of the UK Takeover Code, a copy of this announcement will be made available at www.heg.com/media/press-releases.

Response to Host announcement and Trading Update

RNS


RNS Number : 7458R

Iomart Group PLC

16 September 2014




iomart Group plc

("iomart", or "the Group")



Response to announcement by Host

Pre-close Trading Update



The Board of iomart notes the announcement by Host Europe Holdings Ltd ("Host"), a company controlled by funds managed by Cinven Capital Management (V) General Partner Limited (of which Cinven Partners LLP ("Cinven") is the adviser), that it does not intend to make a formal offer for iomart. Accordingly, iomart is no longer considered to be in an offer period for the purposes of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers.



Pre-close Trading Update



The Board is pleased to report that the business has continued to perform strongly in the first half of the financial year. Trading in the six months ending 30 September 2014 has been in line with management expectations, with both revenue and profits expected to be substantially ahead of the comparative period last year.



These expected results build on the growth of the business in recent years, which has seen iomart deliver a compound annual growth rate in revenues of 32% since 2010 and 66% at the adjusted EBITDA level.



Demand for the Group's services remains strong and growing as the market continues to move towards the provision of products and services over the internet. These strong market drivers leave the Board confident in the outlook for the full year and optimistic for continued long-term success.



Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, commented:



"The Group has delivered strong growth as we continue to execute on our focussed strategy of providing high quality and high margin managed solutions. With an outstanding track record and an established reputation as the UK's leading cloud computing company, we look forward to the future success of iomart."

16 Sep SP Angel 300.00 Buy
16 Sep finnCap 325.00 Buy

Interim Results 9th December 2014

RNS


RNS Number : 1881Z

Iomart Group PLC

09 December 2014






9 December 2014

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Half Yearly Results



iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated half yearly results for the period ended 30 September 2014.



FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Revenue growth of 28% to £31.5m (H1 2014: £24.6m)

· Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 44% to £14.0m (H1 2014: £9.8m)

· Adjusted profit before tax2 growth of 27% to £8.0m (H1 2014: £6.3m)

· Adjusted basic earnings per share3 from operations increased by 26% to 6.15p (H1 2014: 4.89p)

· Cashflow from operations increased by 49% to £13.5m (H1 2014: £9.1m)

· Cashflow from operations 96% of adjusted EBITDA1 (H1 2014: 93%)

· Adjusted EBITDA1 margins increased to 44% (H1 2014: 40%)



OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Development of relationships with strategic Tier 1 providers such as Microsoft, EMC and Dell

· Creation of cloud infrastructure and backup operation in the USA

· Acquisition of ServerSpace after end of period for a maximum consideration of £4.25m



Statutory Equivalents



The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:



· Profit before tax growth of 26% to £5.5m (H1 2014: £4.4m)

· Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 25% to 4.25p (H1 2014: 3.39p)



Angus MacSween, CEO commented,



"We have demonstrated a further strong performance as we continue to benefit from last year's acquisitions of Redstation and Backup Technology, and we have made a good start to the second half of the year.

The market opportunity remains large and long term and, in a fast moving and ever evolving industry we have the skills and experience to continue to perform well. Our focus going forward is on continuing to deepen our relationships with the large Tier 1 vendors and their growing trust in our abilities gives me confidence for iomart' s prospects in the years ahead."











1 Throughout this statement adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) before share based payment charges and acquisition costs. Throughout this statement acquisition costs are defined as acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition integration costs.

2 Throughout this statement adjusted profit before tax is profit before tax, amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, share based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, acquisition costs and in the prior year the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was repaid early.

3 Throughout this statement adjusted earnings per share is earnings per share before amortisation charges on acquired intangible

assets, share based payment charges, mark to market adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, acquisition costs and in the prior year the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was repaid early including the taxation effect of these.

Iomart shares take a hit despite revenue growth

By Andrew Neil

December 09 2014, 3:16pm
Iomart shares take a hit despite revenue growth

Shares in cloud computing specialist Iomart (LON:IOM) took a knock today, despite impressive top line growth figures.

First half revenues at the Glasgow-based firm grew 28% on last year to £31.5mln.

However, its cloud hosting arm (which accounted for £26m of revenues) saw a lower than expected improvement, leading to a 20% share price drop.

Essentially, the hosting business puts websites onto virtual servers, cutting costs and improving cybersecurity.

While the market for cloud services continues to expand, it’s become highly competitive.

Customer decision-making has become slower, with more strategic cloud choices to contemplate.

That cut organic growth in the segment to 8% - compared to the 12% management had hoped to achieve.

“We have seen casualties amongst our base, some with funding difficulties, some dropping out of markets and some being acquired and integrated elsewhere,” said chief executive Angus MacSween.

The most significant trend is the maturing and adoption of the large 'public cloud' offerings, primarily Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft through Azure and Office 365.

That has led Iomart to adopt a strategy of ensuring every flavour of cloud can be provided, be it Microsoft Azure, Office 365, AWS, vCloud Air, as well as private ring-fenced infrastructure.

“Iomart's challenge is continuing to position itself as the 'agnostic cloud company',” added MacSween.

The company is also focused on making the "right" acquisitions and last week wrapped up the £4.2mln acquisition of ServerSpace.

IT storage hardware firm EMC has also selected Iomart as its European partner for the launch of its Enterprise Hybrid Cloud.

Broker finnCap trimmed its share price target to 285p but upheld its ‘buy’ stance on the firm today.

Shares are currently priced at 180p.

UK government awards iomart spot on digital marketplace



By Gulli Arnason · February 4, 2015




UK cloud company iomart (AIM:IOM) said it has been awarded a place on G-Cloud 6, the UK government´s digital marketplace.

iomart has been accredited to supply infrastructure as a service (IaaS); platform as a service (PaaS); software as a service (SaaS); and specialist cloud services.

Among the services it offers are: vCloud and vCloud IaaS – self-managed and hosted virtual infrastructure services based on a VMware vCloud environment; Desktop as a Service; Hosted Exchange and Storage; Business Mail plus Mail and Web Filtering; File Sync and Share; and Advanced DDoS Protection using Arbor Network´s Peakflow solution.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart, said, “For public sector organisations the benefits of procuring services through G Cloud are manifest because they don´t have to go through costly and time-intensive due diligence on potential service providers. Cloud services can be bought off-the-shelf quickly and easily because the background checks have already been done.”

Award winning cloud company iomart Group enables businesses and organisations to operate their online data and IT environments safely and securely. Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, iomart partners with leading vendors such as VMware, Amazon, EMC, Microsoft, Asigra, Arbor Networks and Dell to offer customers a centrally managed, controlled and completely agnostic set of hybrid, private and public cloud platforms. For more information visit http://www.iomart.com

Naked Trader today - When a company gets bid for and then it is turned down, it's amazing how often said company falls to a bid again at some point in the future. I've had quite a few of these in particular Kentz (LON:KENZ) where I made many thousands.

Iomart (LON:IOM) where I made quite a bit when it was bid for before managing to sell before the bid fell through I think is one of those and been building a stake in it.

It's six months since the last bid for it and it would be little surprise to see another one come along - the last bid interest was around the 300p mark and I suspect the company could be bought for that. Or 270 will do! Hell, I'll take 250 !

So I have bought a few more IOM, and noted the price has been steadily rising since it hit around 170. Looks like others feel the same! Even if it isn't bid for it seems to be reasonably priced around 2 quid. I hope to hold now and be patient.

Pre-Close Trading Update
RNS
RNS Number : 0722J
Iomart Group PLC
01 April 2015



1 April 2015



iomart Group plc

Pre-close Trading Statement

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to provide its pre-close trading statement for the year ending 31 March 2015 ahead of the announcement of its full year results.



Group Trading Performance

The Board is pleased to report that iomart expects to deliver another good set of results.

For the year to 31 March 2015, the Group expects to show adjusted EBITDA(1) of approximately £29.0 million (FY2014: £23.6 million) and adjusted(2) profit before tax of approximately £16.6 million (FY2014: £14.6 million) both in line with consensus market expectations.

Over the period, the Group has delivered solid organic growth combined with good performances from its acquired businesses, and the Board anticipates these dual drivers of growth continuing in future.



Operations

The Hosting segment has continued to win a substantial amount of new business over the year, as the Group continues to benefit from the growing adoption of cloud services by organisations that need a strong partner with the necessary infrastructure to provide the certainty, scalability and flexibility they are looking for. Hosting also benefitted from the full year contribution of Redstation, and Backup Technology, the cloud backup business, both of which were acquired in September 2013 and ServerSpace which has contributed to the results since its acquisition in December 2014.

Easyspace has also performed in line with expectations over the year.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, stated:

"iomart has delivered another solid year of growth. The long term opportunity remains very real and iomart is well positioned to take advantage of growth in the Cloud."



(1)adjusted EBITDA means earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation, share based payment charges, acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition integration costs.

(2)adjusted profit before tax means profits before, tax, share based payment charges, amortisation of acquired intangibles, acquisition related costs, non-recurring acquisition integration costs, mark to market adjustments in respect of interest swap arrangements and in the comparative period the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was repaid early in the prior period.

Read new research note at http://tinyurl.com/oghark4

1 Apr SP Angel 270.00 Buy
1 Apr finnCap 285.00 Buy

Naked trader - Iomart (LON:IOM) put out a strong statement. The beauty of it is that Iomart shares aren't worth much less than they are now, so one can hold happily. What we are waiting for is another bid to come in, I suspect next time 300p will be enough.

It's one of those shares to put away, forget about and then one morning when you least expect it a bid announcement appears and you've gained 40% overnight. I'm waiting patiently....

Acquisition of SystemsUp Limited
RNS
RNS Number : 4371P
Iomart Group PLC
08 June 2015

8 June 2015

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")



Acquisition of SystemsUp Limited ("SystemsUp")



iomart, the cloud computing company, is pleased to announce that it has acquired the entire issued share capital of SystemsUp on a cash-free/debt-free basis with normalised working capital.



£9.0m has been paid in cash as an initial consideration and an interim payment of £0.5m in respect of the cash-free, debt-free normalised working capital adjustment has also been paid. A further contingent consideration is due in respect of revenues, on an adjusted basis, for the year to March 2016. It has been estimated that this contingent payment could be in the region of £1.0m to £3.5m.



SystemsUp is a London consultancy specialising in the delivery of IT transformation using Public Cloud. It boasts a range of expertise in the design and delivery of public cloud solutions and is a G-Cloud partner to Google, an authorised Government Partner to Amazon Web Services and a Microsoft Gold Partner.



SystemUp's turnover in the twelve months to 31 March 2015 was £4.0 million with a Profit Before Tax of £1.5 million and net assets of £1.25 million. The initial consideration and any contingent consideration will be financed out of the Group's existing banking facilities and the acquisition is expected to be immediately earnings enhancing before acquisition costs and normal acquisition adjustments including any fair value adjustments and the amortisation of intangible assets.



Angus MacSween, Chief Executive stated:

"The market for cloud computing is becoming incredibly complex and the demand for public cloud services is increasing at pace. With the acquisition of SystemsUp, iomart has broadened its ability to engage at a strategic level and act as a trusted advisor on cloud strategy to organisations wanting to create the right blend of cloud services, both public and private, to fit their requirements. "

8 Jun N+1 Singer 242.00 Buy
8 Jun finnCap 285.00 Buy

RNS
RNS Number : 5739P
Iomart Group PLC
09 June 2015



9 June 2015

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Final Results for the Year ended 31 March 2015



iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated final results for the year ended 31 March 2015.



FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Revenue growth of 18% to £65.8m (2014: £55.6m)



· Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 23% to £29.1m (2014: £23.6m)



· Adjusted profit before tax growth2 of 14% to £16.6m (2014: £14.6m)



· Adjusted diluted earnings per share3 from operations increased by 16% to 12.63p (2014: 10.85p)



· Cashflow from operations increased by 13% to £27.2m (2014: £24.0m)



· Adjusted EBITDA1 margins increased to 44% (2014: 42%)



· Proposed final dividend increased by 43% to 2.50p per share (2014: 1.75p per share)

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Building relationships for Hybrid Cloud opportunities with major players



· Continued M&A activity with the acquisition of ServerSpace



· Acquisition of SystemsUp to address the Public Cloud opportunity



Statutory Equivalents



The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:



· Profit before tax growth of 11% to £10.8m (2014: £9.7m)

· Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 14% to 8.34p (2014: 7.30p)





1 Throughout this statement adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) before share based payment charges and acquisition costs. Throughout this statement acquisition costs are defined as acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition integration costs.

2 Throughout this statement adjusted profit before tax is profit before tax, amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, shared based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, acquisition costs and in the previous year the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facilities which were repaid early during that year.

3 Throughout this statement adjusted diluted earnings per share is earnings per share before amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, shared based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, acquisition costs and in the previous year the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facilities which were repaid early during that year, including the taxation effect of these.





Angus MacSween, CEO commented,



"We are working hard to ensure we remain at the leading edge in terms of the skill sets and experience to provide an ever more complex set of services to our customers and are confident of our abilities to do so, reinforced by the acquisition of SystemsUp in recent days.

We are well positioned for further significant growth."

Proactive investors - Iomart (LON:IOM), down 6.5%. The Cloud computing company’s profit before tax climbed to £10.79mln from £9.72mln the year before, but the market was expecting more from a company in a high-growth sector.

Shares - management services data centre Iomart has continued its acquisition spree with a deal that has plugged an important hybrid cloud hole in its portfolio. Several analysts believe that this could turn the tide for the shares at 232p and set them racing back towards 300p mark.

/iomart-ready-for-big-deal-after-raising-60m-from-bank

Director/PDMR Shareholding
RNS
RNS Number : 0558Y
Iomart Group PLC
04 September 2015



iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Company")



Director's Shareholding





iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, announces that following the purchase of ordinary shares of 1 pence each in the capital of the Company ("Ordinary Shares") on 1 September 2015 under the terms of the iomart Dividend Reinvestment Plan ("DRIP"), the Company has been notified on 3 September 2015 that Angus MacSween, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, bought 160,016 Ordinary Shares at a price of 255.1 pence per share.



Following this transaction, Angus MacSween now holds 16,994,087 Ordinary Shares representing 15.9 per cent. of the voting rights in the Company.

Pre-close Trading Update
RNS
RNS Number : 6235A
Iomart Group PLC
30 September 2015



30 September 2015

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group")



Pre-close Trading Update



iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to provide its pre-close trading statement for the six months ending 30 September 2015 ahead of the announcement of its half yearly results.



Group trading performance



The Board is pleased to report that the business has continued to perform strongly in the first half of the financial year. Trading in the six months ending 30 September 2015 has been in line with management expectations, with both revenue and profits expected to be materially ahead of the comparative period last year.



SystemsUp Limited, a cloud consulting business to the public sector, which was acquired in June 2015 has strengthened the Group's Public Cloud strategy, bringing in consulting experience and stronger relationships with Public Cloud vendors.



The Group continues to seek further strategic acquisitions, having secured a substantial additional funding package in July from Bank of Scotland to bring the total bank facility to £60m.



Demand for the Group's services remains strong as iomart continues to differentiate its offering in the market with its own datacentres, focus on the SME and mid-market, and a consultative sales approach. Private Cloud adoption continues to grow and iomart has an expanding capability here. A hybrid approach to cloud is increasingly the norm for enterprises and there is a clear market role for companies such as iomart to help manage the complex transformation to the cloud. These strong market drivers with future growth underpinned by existing and new clients leave the Board confident in the outlook for the full year and optimistic for continued success.





Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, commented:



"We are very pleased with the way the business has performed in the period and the Board is highly confident in the future. The Group is well positioned to sustain its competitive advantage within the hybrid cloud market with its strong customer base and growing expertise in private cloud. With an outstanding track record and an established reputation as the UK's leading cloud computing company, we believe the prospects for iomart continue to be excellent."

30 Sep finnCap 290.00 Buy

3 Nov Peel Hunt 300.00 Buy
3 Nov finnCap 290.00 Corporate

Naked Trader today - Iomart continues in the late 200s. Any bidder will have to be looking at 350-400.

iomart-invests-in-cisco-asr-9912-routers-to-expand-network-capacity

Interims Wed 2 Dec

Acquisition of United Communications Limited
RNS
RNS Number : 4715H
Iomart Group PLC
01 December 2015

1 December 2015

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group")



Acquisition of United Communications Limited



iomart, the cloud computing company, is pleased to announce that it has acquired the entire issued share capital of United Communications Limited (which trades as "United Hosting") (on a cash-free/debt-free normalised working capital basis) for a total consideration of up to £11.0 million, with £7.5 million settled in cash on completion. A further amount of £3.5 million is contingent on United Hosting achieving agreed EBIT performance targets in years to April 2016 and 2017.

United Hosting was founded in 1998 and provides managed, dedicated and shared hosting services and domains to approximately 6,500 customers, the majority of which are small businesses. The company is based in Hemel Hempstead which is where its main data centre facility is located. It also leases data centre space in London and in Dallas, Texas and has a support function based in India. It is agreed that the two co-founders of United Hosting will remain with the business.

United Hosting's turnover in the twelve months to 30 April 2015 was £2.4 million with EBIT of £1.3 million and net assets of £2.0 million. The initial consideration and any contingent consideration will be financed out of the Group's existing banking facilities and the acquisition is expected to be immediately earnings enhancing before acquisition costs and normal acquisition adjustments including any fair value adjustments and the amortisation of intangible assets.



Angus MacSween, Chief Executive stated:



"In line with previous acquisitions made by iomart, United Hosting is a profitable, growing business whose services reflect those we offer. As such, the business fits well within our acquisition criteria and will be a valuable addition to the Group."

RNS
RNS Number : 6514H
Iomart Group PLC
02 December 2015



2 December 2015

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Half Yearly Results



iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated half yearly results for the period ended 30 September 2015.



FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Revenue growth of 16% to £36.4m (H1 2015: £31.5m)

o Hosting organic growth of 10% (H1 2015: 8%)

· Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 11% to £15.5m (H1 2015: £14.0m)

· Adjusted profit before tax2 growth of 8% to £8.7m (H1 2015: £8.0m)

· Adjusted diluted earnings per share3 from operations increased by 11% to 6.75p (H1 2015: 6.09p)

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Acquisition of SystemsUp for an expected maximum consideration of £10m

· Acquisition of United Hosting after the period end for a maximum consideration of £11m

· Significantly increased capability in Hybrid and Public Cloud

· Investment in senior resources to provide platform for future growth



Statutory Equivalents



The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:



· Profit before tax growth of 3% to £5.7m (H1 2015: £5.5m)

· Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 8% to 4.57p (H1 2015: 4.25p)



Angus MacSween, CEO commented,



"This has been another good trading period for the Group, driven by both organic and acquisitive growth.



"The cloud market landscape that we occupy continues to evolve and with that, the long term recurring revenue opportunities for iomart. We are well established as a major player in providing the flexible cloud solutions that businesses require, whether that be the private cloud, public or hybrid cloud spheres, and we are investing in expanding our teams of highly skilled staff to help our customers navigate and deploy a wider choice of solutions. We believe we are well positioned in the market and remain confident in the Group's growth prospects."







1 Throughout this statement adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) before share based payment charges and acquisition costs. Throughout this statement acquisition costs are defined as acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition integration costs.

2 Throughout this statement adjusted profit before tax is profit before tax, amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, share based payment charges, mark to market adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, acquisition costs and the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was restructured during the period.

3 Throughout this statement adjusted earnings per share is earnings per share before amortisation charges on acquired intangible

assets, share based payment charges, mark to market adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, acquisition costs and the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was restructured during the period including the taxation effect of these.

Broker Forecast - Peel Hunt issues a broker note on Iomart Group PLC
BFN
Peel Hunt today reaffirms its buy investment rating on Iomart Group PLC (LON:IOM) and raised its price target to 315p (from 300p).

Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

Broker Forecast - finnCap issues a broker note on Iomart Group PLC
BFN
finnCap today reaffirms its corporate investment rating on Iomart Group PLC (LON:IOM) and raised its price target to 340p (from 290p).

3 Feb finnCap 340.00 Corporate

Pre-close Trading Statement

RNS


RNS Number : 6203T

Iomart Group PLC

31 March 2016




31 March 2016



iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group")

Pre-close Trading Statement

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to provide its pre-close trading statement for the year ending 31 March 2016 ahead of the announcement of its full year results.



Group Trading Performance

The Board is pleased to report that iomart expects to deliver another excellent set of results.

For the year to 31 March 2016, the Group expects to show adjusted EBITDA(1) of approximately £32.3 million (FY2015: £29.1 million) and adjusted(2) profit before tax of approximately £18.8 million (FY2015: £16.6 million) both in line with consensus market expectations.

Over the period, the Group has delivered solid organic growth combined with good performances from its acquired businesses, and the Board anticipates these dual drivers of growth continuing in the future.



Operations

The Hosting segment has continued to win a substantial amount of new business over the year, benefiting from the growing adoption of cloud services by organisations that need a strong partner with the necessary infrastructure, skills and experience to provide the certainty, scalability and flexibility they require. Hosting also benefitted from the full year contribution of ServerSpace which was acquired in December 2014 and SystemsUp which has contributed to the results since its acquisition in June 2015. The choices for businesses considering a move to the cloud are ever more complex and iomart's ability to provide consultancy and services across the whole cloud spectrum, including public, private and hybrid cloud, leaves us well positioned for future growth.

Easyspace has also performed in line with expectations over the year and has benefitted from the contribution of United Communications since its acquisition in November 2015.

Notice of Results

The Group expects to report its results for the year to 31 March 2016 on Tuesday 7 June 2016.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, stated:

"iomart has delivered yet another solid year of growth. The long term opportunity remains very real and iomart continues to broaden its cloud skills, experience and breadth of management to ensure it is well positioned for future growth."



(1)adjusted EBITDA means earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation, share based payment charges, acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition items.

(2)adjusted profit before tax means profits before, tax, share based payment charges, amortisation of acquired intangibles, acquisition related costs, non-recurring acquisition related items, mark to market adjustments in respect of interest swap arrangements and the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was repaid early in the period.

Final Results

RNS


RNS Number : 3731A

Iomart Group PLC

07 June 2016




7 June 2016

iomart Group plc

("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Final Results for the Year ended 31 March 2016



iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated final results for the year ended 31 March 2016.



FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Revenue growth of 16% to £76.3m (2015: £65.8m)



· Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 11% to £32.3m (2015: £29.1m)



· Adjusted profit before tax growth2 of 14% to £19.0m (2015: £16.6m)



· Adjusted diluted earnings per share3 from operations increased by 14% to 14.44p (2015: 12.63p)



· Cashflow from operations increased by 14% to £30.9m (2015: £27.2m)



· Adjusted PBT2 margins maintained at 25% (2015: 25%)



· Proposed final dividend increased by 26% to 3.15p per share (2015: 2.50p per share)

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS



· Continuing to build relationships for Hybrid Cloud opportunities with major players



· First significant public cloud implementation and achieved Advanced Partner status with Amazon Web Services (AWS)



· Continued M&A activity with the acquisitions of SystemsUp and United Hosting



· Continued investment in senior resources to provide platform for future growth



Statutory Equivalents



The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:



· Profit before tax growth of 21% to £13.0m (2015: £10.8m)

· Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 24% to 10.32p (2015: 8.34p)





1 Throughout this statement adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) before share based payment charges, gain on revaluation of contingent consideration and acquisition costs. Throughout this statement acquisition costs are defined as acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition integration costs.

2 Throughout this statement adjusted profit before tax is profit before tax, amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, shared based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, acquisition costs, interest on contingent consideration due, gain on revaluation of contingent consideration and the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was restructured during the year.

3 Throughout this statement adjusted earnings per share is earnings per share before amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, shared based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, acquisition costs, interest on contingent consideration due, gain on revaluation of contingent consideration and the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was restructured during the year, including the taxation effect of these.



Angus MacSween, CEO commented,



"Trading since the year end remains good and in line with market expectations.



"The long term opportunity is bigger than ever. The investments we have made in our staff, skillsets and industry relationships mean we are well positioned to take advantage of that opportunity and to deliver further significant growth.



"I look forward, once again, with confidence to the year ahead."

7 Jun Peel Hunt 315.00 Buy
7 Jun finnCap 360.00 Corporate
7 Jun Peel Hunt 315.00 Buy

Ex divi Thurs 11 Aug 3.15p

New high.

Pre-close Trading Update
RNS
RNS Number : 2687L
Iomart Group PLC
30 September 2016
 
30 September 2016
iomart Group plc
("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")
 
Pre-close Trading Update
 
iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to provide its pre-close trading statement for the six months ending 30 September 2016, ahead of the announcement of its half yearly results.
 
Group trading performance:
 
The Board is pleased to report that the business has continued to perform strongly in the first half of the financial year. Trading in the six months ending 30 September 2016 has been in line with management expectations, with both revenue and profits expected to be materially ahead of the comparative period last year.
 
The Group has seen strong demand for its services as enterprises continue to move their services into the cloud. With our wide range of cloud products and services covering private, public and hybrid cloud solutions, iomart is ideally placed to advise these enterprises on the best solution to fit their needs and then to implement the chosen solution. We have continued to develop our relationships with the major Public Cloud vendors during the period as we enhance our expertise in this area.
 
The market opportunity remains strong and we are well positioned to take advantage of it. The Board is confident in the outlook for the full year and optimistic for continued success.
 
Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, commented:
 
"We are pleased to report another period of strong performance from iomart. The Group is well placed to sustain its competitive advantage within the hybrid cloud market and to maintain our reputation as the UK's leading cloud computing company. We continue to see a good stream of acquisition opportunities and look forward with confidence to the rest of the year."

30 Sep
N+1 Singer
297.00
Hold

30 Sep
finnCap
360.00
Corporate

30 Sep
Peel Hunt
315.00
Buy

,

RNS
RNS Number : 0232R
Iomart Group PLC
06 December 2016
 
 
6 December 2016
iomart Group plc
("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")
Half Yearly Results
 
iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated half yearly results for the period ended 30 September 2016.
 
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
 
·      Revenue growth of 16% to £42.1m (H1 2016: £36.4m)
o  Cloud Services organic growth of 10% (H1 2016: 10%)
·      Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 13% to £17.6m (H1 2016: £15.5m)
·      Adjusted profit before tax2 growth of 23% to £10.6m (H1 2016: £8.7m)
·      Adjusted diluted earnings per share3 from operations increased by 19% to 8.03p (H1 2016: 6.75p)
·      Cashflow from operations increased by 22% to £16.7m (H1 2016: £13.6m)
·      Operating cash conversion rate increased to 95% of adjusted EBITDA (H1 2016: 88%)
OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
 
·      Ongoing investment in all forms of cloud skills
·      Continuing to develop relationships with major Public Cloud suppliers leading to growth in Public Cloud revenues
·      Consultancy division, SystemsUp, gains AWS Public Sector Partner for Government status
 
Statutory Equivalents
 
The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:
 
·      Profit before tax growth of 26% to £7.1m (H1 2016: £5.7m)
·      Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 19% to 5.43p (H1 2016: 4.57p)
 
Angus MacSween, CEO commented,
 
"Trading in the first half of the year has been very good and we remain focussed on building our recurring revenues in line with our business model. We are uncovering an increasing breadth of opportunities to constantly grow that recurring revenue and remain confident in our future prospects."
 
 
 
1  Throughout this statement adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) before share based payment charges and acquisition costs. Throughout this statement acquisition costs are defined as acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition integration costs.
2  Throughout this statement adjusted profit before tax is profit before tax, amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, share based payment charges, mark to market adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, interest charges in respect of contingent consideration due, acquisition costs and in the previous period the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the restructuring of our bank borrowing facility.
3   Throughout this statement adjusted earnings per share is earnings per share before amortisation charges on acquired intangible
assets, share based payment charges, mark to market adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, interest charges in respect of contingent consideration due, acquisition costs and in the previous period the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the restructuring of our bank borrowing facility including the taxation effect of these.
 
This interim announcement contains forward-looking statements, which have been made by the directors in good faith based on the information available to them up to the time of the approval of this report and such information should be treated with caution due to the inherent uncertainties, including both economic and business risk factors, underlying such forward-looking information.
 

6 Dec
finnCap
360.00
Corporate
6 Dec
Peel Hunt
315.00

Pre-close Trading Statement
RNS
RNS Number : 0878B
Iomart Group PLC
31 March 2017
 
Date:                       31 March 2017
On behalf of:        iomart Group plc ("iomart" or the "Group")
Embargoed until: 0700hrs
iomart Group plc
Pre-close Trading Statement
iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to provide its pre-close trading statement for the year ending 31 March 2017 ahead of the announcement of its full year results.
 
Group Trading Performance
The Board is pleased to report that iomart expects to deliver another excellent set of results.
For the year to 31 March 2017, the Group expects to show revenue growth of approximately 17% and adjusted EBITDA(1) of approximately £36.6 million (FY2016: £32.3 million), in line with market consensus expectations. In addition we expect to report a 19% increase in adjusted(2) profit before tax to approximately £22.4 million (FY2016: £18.9 million).
Over the period, the Group has delivered good growth in both revenue and profit and the Board anticipates that growth will continue in the future.
 
Operations
The Cloud Services segment has continued to win a substantial amount of new business over the year, benefiting from the growing adoption of cloud services by organisations that need a strong partner with the necessary infrastructure, skills and experience to provide the certainty, scalability and flexibility they require. Cloud Services also benefitted from the full year contribution of SystemsUp which was acquired in June 2015. The choices for businesses considering a move to the cloud are ever more complex and iomart's ability to provide consultancy and services across the whole cloud spectrum, including public, private and hybrid cloud, leaves us well positioned for future growth.
Easyspace has performed in line with expectations, which has seen it return to organic revenue growth after the decline in FY2016, and has benefitted from a full year contribution of United Communications which was acquired in November 2015.
Dividends
We have previously announced a progressive dividend policy under which we would pay a dividend of up to a maximum of 25% of the adjusted diluted earnings per share for the financial year. In the previous financial year, the payout ratio was 22%. In line with past performance the Group has continued to generate high levels of operating cash over the year and in addition we are currently carrying a very low level of gearing with our net debt likely to be around one third of our adjusted EBITDA at the end of this financial year. Consequently, the Board has decided to review the upper limit of the dividend payout ratio. As a result, we now intend to increase the maximum payout ratio to 40% of adjusted diluted earnings per share. The Board anticipates announcing a payout ratio for the current financial year in excess of the previous maximum level of 25% when the results for the year are reported.
Board Change
Following 18 years of service Sarah Haran has decided to pursue other interests and so will stand down from the Board with immediate effect. The Board would like to express its thanks to Sarah for her long term contribution to the success of the Group over many years and wish her well for the future.
 
Notice of Results
The Group expects to report its results for the year to 31 March 2017 on Tuesday 13 June 2017.
Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, stated:
"iomart has delivered yet another year of exciting growth. The long term opportunity remains very real and iomart continues to broaden its cloud skills, experience and breadth of management to ensure it is well positioned for future growth. Our strong balance sheet and our increasing cashflow leaves us in good financial health. I would like to add my personal thanks to Sarah Haran who has made a significant contribution to the success of iomart for many years."
 
(1)adjusted EBITDA means earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation, share based payment charges, acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition items and in the previous year a gain on revaluation of contingent consideration.
 (2)adjusted profit before tax means profits before, tax, share based payment charges, amortisation of acquired intangibles,  acquisition related costs, non-recurring acquisition related items, mark to market adjustments in respect of interest swap arrangements, interest charges on contingent consideration and in the previous year the  accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was repaid early during that year and a gain on revaluation of contingent consideration.

26 Apr
Peel Hunt
315.00
Buy

iomart group PLC (IOM:LSE) set a new 52-week high during today's trading session when it reached 340.00. Over this period, the share price is up 21.32%.

Final Results
RNS
RNS Number : 8742H
Iomart Group PLC
13 June 2017
 
13 June 2017
iomart Group plc
("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")
Final Results for the Year ended 31 March 2017
 
iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated final results for the year ended 31 March 2017.
 
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
 
·      Revenue growth of 17% to £89.6m (2016: £76.3m)
o  Cloud Services segment organic revenue growth of 10% (2016: 9%)
 
·      Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 13% to £36.6m (2016: £32.3m)
 
·      Adjusted profit before tax growth2 of 18% to £22.4m (2016: £19.0m)
 
·      Adjusted diluted earnings per share3 from operations increased by 18% to 16.99p (2016: 14.44p)
 
·      Cashflow from operations increased by 22% to £37.8m (2016: £30.9m)
 
·      Adjusted profit before tax2 margins maintained at 25% (2016: 25%)
 
·      Proposed final dividend increased by 90% to 6.00p per share (2016: 3.15p per share)
OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
 
·      Acquisition of Cristie Data during the year for a net consideration of £0.7m
 
·      Acquisition of Dediserve post year end for a consideration of €7.9m
 
·      Further investment in skills and accreditations to support broadening service offering
 
·      Strengthened relationships with Hypercloud vendors
 
 
 
Statutory Equivalents
 
The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:
 
·      Profit before tax growth of 13% to £14.7m (2016: £13.0m)
·      Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 9% to 11.27p (2016: 10.32p)
 
 
1 Throughout this statement adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) before share based payment charges, acquisition costs and in the previous year gain on revaluation of contingent consideration. Throughout this statement acquisition costs are defined as acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition integration costs.
2 Throughout this statement adjusted profit before tax is profit before tax, amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, shared based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, acquisition costs, interest on contingent consideration due and in the previous year gain on revaluation of contingent consideration and the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was restructured during that year.
3 Throughout this statement adjusted earnings per share is earnings per share before amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, shared based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, acquisition costs, interest on contingent consideration due, and in the previous year gain on revaluation of contingent consideration and the accelerated write off of arrangement fees on the bank borrowing facility which was restructured during that year, including the taxation effect of these.
 
 
Angus MacSween, CEO commented,
 
"This has been another year of strong growth and trading since the year end remains good.
 
"The long term opportunity and runway for success remains large and long. iomart remains well positioned to take advantage of that opportunity and to deliver further significant growth.
 
"I look forward, once again, with confidence to the year ahead."
 

10:20 13/06/2017
Broker Forecast - Peel Hunt issues a broker note on Iomart Group PLC
Peel Hunt today reaffirms its buy investment rating on Iomart Group PLC (LON:IOM) and raised its price target to 388p (from 315p). Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
09:40 13/06/2017
Broker Forecast - finnCap issues a broker note on Iomart Group PLC
finnCap today reaffirms its corporate investment rating on Iomart Group PLC (LON:IOM) and raised its price target to 400p (from 360p). Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

re-close Trading Update
RNS
RNS Number : 1669S
Iomart Group PLC
29 September 2017
 
29 September 2017
iomart Group plc
("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")
 
Pre-close Trading Update
 
iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to provide its pre-close trading statement for the six months ending 30 September 2017, ahead of the announcement of its half yearly results.
 
Group trading performance
 
The Board is pleased to report that the business has continued to perform well in the first half of the financial year, with trading in the six months ending 30 September 2017 in line with management expectations.  The business remains firmly on track to deliver another year of material growth.
 
The Group has seen strong demand for its services as enterprises continue to move their services into the cloud. With our wide range of cloud products, services and consultancy offerings covering private, public and hybrid cloud solutions, iomart is ideally placed to advise these enterprises on the best solution to fit their needs and then to implement the chosen solution.
 
In May 2017 we acquired, Dediserve, expanding the geographical reach of our cloud operation. The business has performed well since acquisition, in line with management expectations.
 
Maiden interim dividend
 
At the end of our last financial year we revised our dividend policy due to our robust cash generation and low level of gearing. As a result, we increased our final dividend for that year by 90% to 6p per share. We now intend to introduce an interim dividend payment in this financial year and further details of this will be given with the publication of our half year results.
 
Outlook  
 
The market opportunity remains strong and we are well positioned to take advantage of it. The Board is confident in the outlook for the full year and optimistic for continued success.
 
Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, commented: 
 
"The Group has performed strongly in the period as we consolidate our competitive advantage within the hybrid cloud market. There is growing demand from enterprises moving their services into the cloud and our reputation as the UK's leading cloud computing company means we are ideally placed to service this demand."

2 Oct
Peel Hunt
388.00
Buy

Notice of Results
RNS
RNS Number : 5028U
Iomart Group PLC
25 October 2017
 
25 October 2017
iomart Group plc
("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")
 
Notice of Results
 
iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, expects to report half yearly results for the six months ended 30 September 2017 on Tuesday, 5 December 2017.
 

Broker Forecast - Peel Hunt issues a broker note on Iomart Group PLC
BFN
Peel Hunt today reaffirms its buy investment rating on Iomart Group PLC (LON:IOM) and raised its price target to 405p (from 388p).

RNS
RNS Number : 3584Y
Iomart Group PLC
05 December 2017
 
 
5 December 2017
iomart Group plc
("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")
Half Yearly Results
 
iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated half yearly results for the period ended 30 September 2017.
 
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
 
·      Revenue growth of 12% to £47.0m (H1 2017: £42.1m)
o  Cloud Services growth of 13% (H1 2017: 13%)
·      Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 9% to £19.2m (H1 2017: £17.6m)
·      Adjusted profit before tax2 growth of 9% to £11.6m (H1 2017: £10.6m)
·      Adjusted diluted earnings per share3 from operations increased by 10% to 8.82p (H1 2017: 8.03p)
·      Maiden interim dividend of 2.25p per share
OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
 
·      Ongoing investment in cloud skills
·      Further improvements and investment in automation of server deployment
·      Significant investment in software defined network
·      Development of skills in major niche verticals, particularly in the eCommerce sector
·      Acquisition of two eCommerce cloud businesses, one during period and one post period end
 
Statutory Equivalents
 
The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:
 
·      Profit before tax growth of 9% to £7.8m (H1 2017: £7.1m)
·      Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 10% to 5.96p (H1 2017: 5.43p)
 
Angus MacSween, CEO commented,
 
"The Group has enjoyed another good period of trading in the first half of the year, with growing recurring revenues in line with our business model. The market opportunity remains significant and we continue to invest in our skills, infrastructure and capabilities to meet the evolving demands of the market. We are firmly on track to deliver another year of material growth and we remain confident in our prospects

13:20 05/12/2017
Broker Forecast - N+1 Singer issues a broker note on Iomart Group PLC
N+1 Singer today reaffirms its buy investment rating on Iomart Group PLC (LON:IOM) and set its price target at 427p. Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

5 Dec
Shore Capital
N/A
Buy
5 Dec
N+1 Singer
427.00
Buy
5 Dec
Peel Hunt
405.00
Buy
5 Dec
finnCap
415.00
Corporate

iomart group PLC (IOM:LSE) set a new 52-week high during today's trading session when it reached 410.00. Over this period, the share price is up 31.69%.

13:00 03/01/2018
Broker Forecast - Peel Hunt issues a broker note on Iomart Group PLC
Peel Hunt today reaffirms its buy investment rating on Iomart Group PLC (LON:IOM) and raised its price target to 440p (from 405p). Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

26 Mar
Peel Hunt
440.00
Buy

Trading Statement
RNS
RNS Number : 3142J
Iomart Group PLC
29 March 2018

Date: 29 March 2018
On behalf of: iomart Group plc ("iomart" or the "Group")
Embargoed until: 0700hrs
iomart Group plc
Pre-close Trading Statement

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to provide its pre-close trading statement for the year ending 31 March 2018 ahead of the announcement of its full year results.

Group Trading Performance
The Board is pleased to report that iomart expects to deliver another strong set of results delivering good growth in both revenue and profit.
For the year to 31 March 2018, the Group expects to show revenue growth of approximately 9%, adjusted EBITDA(1) of approximately £39.8 million (FY2017: £36.6 million) and adjusted(2) profit before tax of approximately £23.9 million (FY2017: £22.4 million) all in line with market consensus expectations.
Given the sustainable nature of the market opportunity, a broadening product offering and a growing reputation within the cloud industry, the Board anticipates that growth will continue in the future.

Operations
The Cloud Services segment has continued to win a substantial amount of new business over the year, benefiting from the growing adoption of cloud services by organisations that need a strong partner with the necessary infrastructure, skills and experience to provide the certainty, scalability and flexibility they require.
Cloud Services also benefitted from the full year contribution of Cristie Data which was acquired in August 2016 and from the contribution of Dediserve, Simple Servers and Sonassi since their acquisition in May 2017, July 2017 and November 2017 respectively. These acquisitions not only bring additional long-term customers into the Group but also have expanded our geographical reach and increased our expertise within high growth areas of the market, such as ecommerce retailing.
The choices for businesses considering a move to the cloud are ever more complex and iomart's ability to provide consultancy and services across the whole cloud spectrum, including public, private and hybrid cloud, leaves us well positioned for future growth.
Easyspace, the segment that provides a range of services to small and micro businesses, has performed well, in line with expectations, having continued the organic revenue growth re-established in the prior year.
Notice of Results
The Group expects to report its results for the year to 31 March 2018 on Tuesday 12 June 2018.
Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, stated:
"iomart has delivered yet another year of consistent growth. With a significant and sustainable market opportunity ahead of us, we continue to invest in our business and people to ensure we are well positioned for future growth. We continue to see strong demand for our services and remain confident in our prospects. Our healthy balance sheet, high levels of revenue visibility and our strong and increasing cash conversion leaves us in good financial health."

(1)adjusted EBITDA means earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation, share based payment charges, gains or losses on revaluation of contingent consideration, acquisition related costs and non-recurring items.
(2)adjusted profit before tax means profits before, tax, share based payment charges, amortisation of acquired intangibles, gains or losses on revaluation of contingent consideration, acquisition related costs, non-recurring items, mark to market adjustments in respect of interest swap arrangements and interest charges on contingent consideration.

09:10 03/05/2018
Broker Forecast - Peel Hunt issues a broker note on Iomart Group PLC
Peel Hunt today reaffirms its buy investment rating on Iomart Group PLC (LON:IOM) and set its price target at 440p. Story provided by StockMarketWire.com Broker Forecasts data provided by www.sharesmagazine.co.uk

Final Results
RNS
RNS Number : 0397R
Iomart Group PLC
12 June 2018


12 June 2018
iomart Group plc
("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")
Final Results for the Year ended 31 March 2018

iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated final results for the year ended 31 March 2018.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

· Revenue growth of 9% to £97.7m (2017: £89.6m)

· Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 9% to £39.8m (2017: £36.6m)

· Adjusted profit before tax growth2 of 7% to £24.0m (2017: £22.4m)

· Adjusted diluted earnings per share3 from operations increased by 6% to 17.96p (2017: 16.99p)

· Cashflow from operations increased by 8% to £40.8m (2017: £37.8m)

· Adjusted profit before tax2 margin maintained at 25% (2017: 25%)

· Proposed final dividend of 4.93p per share resulting in total dividend for year of 7.18p per share, an increase of 20% (2017: 6.00p per share)
OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

· 3 successful acquisitions completed during the year:
- Dediserve for €7.9m
- Simple Servers for £4.9m
- Sonassi for £11.8m

· Creation of software defined fibre network

· Post year-end extension on London datacentre lease until 2030


Statutory Equivalents

The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:

· Profit before tax growth of 1% to £14.8m (2017: £14.7m)
· Basic earnings per share from operations increased by 1% to 11.41p (2017: 11.27p)



1 Throughout this statement adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) before share based payment charges, acquisition costs, gain on revaluation of contingent consideration and non-recurring costs. Throughout this statement acquisition costs are defined as acquisition related costs and non-recurring acquisition integration costs.
2 Throughout this statement adjusted profit before tax is profit before tax, amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, share based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, acquisition costs, interest on contingent consideration due, gain on revaluation of contingent consideration and non-recurring costs.
3 Throughout this statement adjusted earnings per share is earnings per share before amortisation charges on acquired intangible assets, share based payment charges, mark to mark adjustments in respect of interest rate swaps, acquisition costs, interest on contingent consideration due, gain on revaluation of contingent consideration and non-recurring costs and the taxation effect of these.


Angus MacSween, CEO commented,

"We are delighted to report another year of excellent results, with increased revenues and profits and the completion of a number of acquisitions, augmenting the Group's customer base and skill set. Trading in the new year has continued in a similarly positive vein.

Since we embarked on our current strategy in 2007, we have successfully executed on our growth strategy, growing revenues from £8m to nearly £100m. We strongly believe that the market for cloud computing solutions we identified at the time presents us with as much opportunity now as it did then and that, together with additional acquisitions, will allow us to continue to execute successfully on the strategy we put in place at that time.

There is still a long runway of opportunity as the "IT as a service" philosophy and delivery unfolds, providing us with considerable scope for long-term, sustained growth. We therefore look to the coming year and beyond with confidence".

Directorate Change
RNS
RNS Number : 8100U
Iomart Group PLC
17 July 2018


iomart Group plc
("iomart", the "Group" or the "Company")

Directorate Change

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, announces that Richard Logan, Group Finance Director, has notified the Board of his intention to retire from his role at iomart after 12 years' service to the Company. The Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard's replacement, Scott Cunningham, as Group Finance Director with effect from 3 September 2018. Richard will step down from the Board on this date and has agreed to be available until the end of December 2018 in order to ensure an orderly handover.

Scott has over 25 years' experience in the accounting and finance profession and was Group Finance Director of AIM listed InterBulk Group plc for nine years before the group was successfully sold to Den Hartogh in March 2016. Before this Scott performed a number of roles within the Clyde Blowers portfolio including Group Financial Controller for the Clyde Bergemann Power Group from 2003 to 2006 and more recently was an Investment Director at Clyde Blowers Capital. Scott is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland having qualified with Arthur Andersen in 1995.

Ian Ritchie, Chairman, commented:

"I'd like to thank Richard for the outstanding contribution he has made to the success of iomart Group during his 12 year tenure. He leaves the Group on a sound financial footing, with high levels of revenue visibility and a strong balance sheet. I wish him every future success."

Angus MacSween, CEO, commented:
"I concur with the Chairman's comments and after a busy 12 years I wish Richard a long and healthy retirement. In Scott we have found another high calibre finance director and look forward to him joining the business in September."

Scott Cunningham, incoming Group Finance Director, commented:

"I am delighted to be joining iomart, which has built a successful position in the growing cloud computing market and has developed a reputation for consistent delivery. iomart has a significant and sustainable market opportunity ahead of it, as the move to the cloud continues, and I look forward to working with Angus and the team to deliver upon that opportunity."

New high.

Very strong today. Always been talk of being taken over. BWDIK

Pre-close Trading Update
RNS
RNS Number : 4113C
Iomart Group PLC
01 October 2018

1st October 2018
iomart Group plc
("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")

Pre-close Trading Update

iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to provide its pre-close trading statement for the six months ending 30 September 2018, ahead of the announcement of its half yearly results.

Group trading performance

The Group has continued to perform strongly in the first half of the financial year. Trading in the six months ending 30 September 2018 has been in line with management expectations, with both revenue and trading profits expected to be well ahead of the comparative period last year, including the contribution from the acquisitions made in the previous financial year.

The choices for businesses considering a move to the cloud are ever more complex and the Group has the skills, network and infrastructure to provide solutions across the whole cloud spectrum, including private, hybrid and public cloud. This leaves us well positioned to take advantage of these opportunities and we have continued to win good levels of new business from both new and existing customers in the period. The reorganisation of our sales and marketing team and structure was successfully completed in the period and we are confident that we will see these efforts starting to filter through into the sales pipeline for the second half and beyond.

Outlook

Many industries and sectors are only now at the start of the journey to the cloud, which means that the market opportunity remains strong and varied. Through our continued investments into the business and successful acquisition of complementary skills and customer bases, we are increasingly well positioned to take advantage of the opportunity and the Board is confident in the outlook for the full year and beyond.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, commented:

"iomart's continued strong trading performance is a reflection of the strength of our cloud capabilities and business model, the breadth of our customer base and the ongoing growth of the cloud market. With a significant and sustainable market opportunity ahead of us, a growing sales pipeline and high levels of revenue visibility, we look to the second half of the year and beyond with confidence."

Notice of Results
RNS
RNS Number : 7740F
Iomart Group PLC
31 October 2018


31 October 2018
iomart Group plc
("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")
Notice of Results
iomart Group plc (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, expects to report half yearly results for the six months ended 30 September 2018 on Tuesday, 4 December 2018.

RNS
RNS Number : 3022J
Iomart Group PLC
04 December 2018


4 December 2018
iomart Group plc
("iomart" or the "Group" or the "Company")
Half Yearly Results

iomart (AIM:IOM), the cloud computing company, is pleased to report its consolidated half yearly results for the period ended 30 September 2018.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

· Revenue growth of 8% to £50.9m (H1 2018: £47.0m)
· Adjusted EBITDA1 growth of 10% to £21.1m (H1 2018: £19.2m)
· Adjusted profit before tax2 growth of 7% to £12.4m (H1 2018: £11.6m)
· Adjusted diluted earnings per share3 increased by 6% to 9.23p (H1 2018: 8.71p)
· Period end net debt of £33.6m, less than one times annualised EBITDA
· Interim dividend of 2.45p per share (H1 2018: £2.25p)

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

· Substantial growth in sales pipeline due to re-structuring of our sales and marketing activities
· Continued investment in cloud hosting products and services to allow us to deliver all elements of a hybrid environment
· Strong focus on efficiency and customer service which ensures market leading profitability
· Further expansion of our UK datacentre resources and points of presence across the globe
· Acquisition of Bytemark, a managed hosting business in York, for total consideration of £4.9m

Statutory Equivalents

The above highlights are based on adjusted results. A full reconciliation between adjusted and statutory results is contained within this statement. The largest variance within the adjustments relates to a net increase in the contingent consideration on 2017 acquisitions, as performance was ahead of expectations within a range of earnings which had a high multiple factor under a ratchet mechanism. Accounting standards require the £1.4m additional consideration to be recorded as a loss within the profit before tax, with no such sum in the prior period comparative. The statutory equivalents of the above results are as follows:

· Profit before tax of £7.3m (H1 2018: £7.8m)
· Basic earnings per share of 5.48p (H1 2018: 5.85p)


Angus MacSween, CEO commented,

"iomart's continued strong trading performance is a reflection of the strength of our cloud capabilities and business model, the breadth of our customer base and the ongoing growth of the cloud market. We help companies at all stages of their journey, with a wide portfolio of managed cloud services, which makes us confident about the significant and sustainable market opportunity ahead.

"The high levels of visibility within our recurring revenue business model and strong cost control provides stability to our trading performance for the second half of the year, ensuring the full year should deliver a similar overall year on year progression as we have reported in the first half. We remain very confident in the Group's long term prospects."