Node4 acquires IT services provider risual

Cloud-led digital transformation firm Node4 has announced the acquisition of risual. The IT managed services and solutions provider brings 170 UK staff to Node4’s offering.

Managed Services Provider (MSP) Node4 has set its sights on an ambitious growth campaign. Founded in 2004 in Derby, Node4 specialises in cloud, connectivity, collaboration and security and continuity solutions, supporting its clients with the delivery of digital solutions and managed services. Since a major deal with Providence Equity in 2021, the firm has been weighing up strategic acquisitions that will enhance its ability to provide market-leading end-to-end services and help UK businesses move to secure, cloud-based platforms.

Adding risual to Node4’s acquisition of TNP last year, Node4’s acquisition of risual plays on the strengths of two organisations formed, built and led by genuine technology entrepreneurs. With the arrival of 170 new experts to Node4, the move adds significant skills, experience, and revenue to its managed services business, with a focus on all three Microsoft cloud platforms and public and private sector clients.

“As Node4 evolves as a business delivering more cloud-led transformation services, risual represents a perfect fit given its track record, consultancy skills and managed services in the public cloud,” commented Andrew Gilbert, CEO of Node4. “With complementary Microsoft skill sets, Node4 and risual are ideally suited to deliver the change that matters for clients and the transformation outcomes they need.”

As a Microsoft Expert for 17 years, risual has deep solution and service knowledge across Microsoft platforms and is a specialist in transforming clients in cloud, business and digital. Looking ahead, the firm’s co-founders, Alun Rogers and Rich Proud will remain in their leadership roles alongside their management team post-acquisition, with Node4 committed to all risual employees investing in growth in the years ahead. Node4 will also support the continued growth of risual Education, which since 2015, provides end-user training to help organisations across the UK adopt technology, as well as supporting students with qualifications through an well respected apprenticeship programmme.

Co-Founder of risual, Alun Rogers, said, “Joining the Node4 team is an extremely exciting step for risual, and their excellent reputation was a deciding factor in our decision to include risual in the group. Node4’s exceptional service as standard, also as its culture and commitment to providing strategic input and honest leadership is in perfect harmony with risual’s core values ​​of honesty, openness, and trust.”

The transaction will conclude for an undisclosed fee, pending the completion of National Security and Investment (NSI) act approval. Supporting risual throughout the transaction, Equiteq acted as financial advisor to the sell-side. According to fellow Co-Founder Rich Proud, the support “from the entire Equiteq team was quintessential to getting this transaction to risual” – and he added the team’s “outstanding work ethic” and “great process advice and reach into the cloud services ecosystem” made them the ideal deal partner to both risual teams and shareholders.

Jerome Glynn-Smith, Managing Director and Head – Europe of Equiteq, further noted, “Cloud-based expertise and solutions are the core of a modern managed IT workplace offering. The risual team with huge cloud transformation expertise, particularly around Microsoft Azure, made our sale process lean towards Node4 as a great home for the risual proposition and people. We wish the teams all the best as they start work together.”