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.

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.”
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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.