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DSP Acquires Explorer UK, Creating Managed Services and Database Technology Services Group


Enterprise IT managed services organization DSP and Explorer UK, an Oracle consultancy, and development and support provider, have joined together in a deal that creates one of the largest independent Oracle partners in the U.K. 

With offices in London, Nottingham, and Basingstoke, DSP,an Oracle Platinum Partner, was founded in 1999 and has grown to revenue of almost £10 million with about 40 staff members. It is an enterprise data and managed services specialist that has established a reputation as a partner for companies that want to invest in Oracle, Microsoft, and cloud technologies.

In August 2018, YFM Equity Partners (YFM) backed the £10 million management buyout led by CEO Simon Goodenough. Since the 2018 management buyout, DSP says, it has doubled turnover and profitability, and grown its contract base by 300%.

Based in Leeds, Explorer is also an Oracle Platinum Partner with about 50 staff members, and has more than 25 years’ experience in providing database and infrastructure solutions, and is particularly known in the field of Oracle Engineered Systems and Cloud at Customer.

According to the companies, bringing together their two complementary businesses will broaden DSP’s data infrastructure capabilities to provide a wider range of consultancy and managed service offerings. Both organizations will continue to operate in the U.K. database technology and cloud/managed services market under their own brand names.

Explorer founder Ian Thomason has joined the board of the DSP Group, with Simon Goodenough becoming group CEO. The newly combined group will continue to operate from DSP’s three offices, and Explorer’s Leeds head office. According to the companies, in addition to the deal bringing DSP group revenues to more than £20 million, it will provide a platform for both organic and acquisition-based growth.

“This really is a case of one and one makes three," said Simon Goodenough, CEO of DSP. "Our shared market knowledge and similar cultures make this an ideal fit and together we have the scale and momentum to continue our ambitious growth plans." He added that the newly combined group will look to realize its objective of being a leading provider of enterprise-grade database and data platform services, whether on-premise or cloud, Oracle or Microsoft.

“As well as our shared and deep heritage with Oracle technology, customers from both organizations will benefit from capabilities spanning Microsoft Azure Services, APEX Development, Machine Learning and, of course, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure," said Ian Thomason, managing director of Explorer.

For more information, go to www.dsp.co.uk and https://explorer.co.uk.


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