Newbury: Proximity is new name of merged company

Thames Valley-based ICT companies Applinet plc and Unified Group have announced a merger between the two businesses, with the newly established ICT company trading under the name Proximity Communications plc, http://www.proximitycomms.com.

The company, which has a combined turnover in excess of £10m, offers a comprehensive portfolio of end-to-end ICT solutions and managed services in networking and unified communications, and boasts more than 200 customers including household names such as The British Red Cross, Invesco, Telegraph Group and Victoria & Albert Museum.

Darren Boyce, managing director of Applinet plc, will take the role of CEO, and Michael Lloyd, managing director of Unified Group, will assume the position of managing director. Both companies will move to new headquarters in Newbury.

Commenting on the merger, Boyce said: “The Thames Valley is renowned as a hotbed for IT companies, and we want to continue to invest in the region’s reputation as a technology incubator. With both organisations offering complementary ICT services and solutions, it made good business sense to pool our expertise and combine our strengths.

“As a result of the merger our buying power is significantly enhanced, enabling us to help customers drive down the capital and operational expenditure of ICT strategies, and exploit the efficiency benefits of applications such as social networking and video-conferencing.”

The merger will also see Proximity Communications become one of the largest UK partners of global IT vendor Nortel.

Lloyd added: “With one of the largest pool of dedicated Nortel accredited technicians and engineers in the UK, we can provide customers with a service experience that is second-to-none. Complemented by an array of Microsoft accreditations, Proximity Communications is in a strong position to deliver intelligent solutions and managed services that draw on the increasing convergence of fixed and wireless infrastructures with real-time tools including voice, video and social media.”

Boyce concluded: “Our existing customers will experience benefits almost immediately, with enhanced bandwidth provision and support services, an extended portfolio of best-of-breed solutions, as well as the consultative and technical excellence the two companies have cultivated, and which Proximity Communications will continue to provide.”