The datacentre business of bankrupt 2e2 has been acquired by Oakley Capital Private Equity in an eleventh hour deal.
The acquisition will save existing users from either having to pay up to keep the datacentre going or migrating to an alternative provider, while the skeleton staff keeping the lights on at the datacentres in Reading and Gateshead will be retained and expanded.
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Oakley capital has appointed Daisy Group, a communications company listed on the Alternative Investment Market, to manage both datacentres, under a "special purpose vehicle" called Daisy Data Centre Solutions Ltd.
"This contract, alongside other investments the group is making into its datacentre offering, enhances Daisy Group's portfolio and will significantly increase exposure to this fast-growing market," the company said in a statement.
Oakley is headed by technology entrepreneur Peter Dubens and is a major shareholder in Daisy, hence the connection. The deal doubles the amount of datacentre capacity controlled by Daisy.
It had been an early front-runner to buy 2e2 assets when the company first collapsed into administration, but walked away over pricing. With a Friday deadline for customers to pay up £960,000 – or the administrator would close both datacentres down – Daisy was no doubt able to nip in with a low offer.
"This appointment provides 2e2 customers with the opportunity to work with a long-term partner with proven expertise in the growing data and hosting market," said Matthew Riley, CEO of Daisy.
He added: "Through the additional datacentre facilities the group is in a position to significantly expand its data and hosting footprint, providing stability to existing 2e2 customers and offering further expertise and resource to Daisy customers."
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