Expanding Onyx opens fifth data hall in capital

ONYX, the private equity-backed IT firm, has opened a fifth “hall” at its data centre in Edinburgh, bringing its investment in the site to £6.5 million since 2010.

Gillen: demand still growing. Picture: Complimentary

The Teesside-based firm has pumped £250,000 into the centre to open the latest hall, with four jobs being created to take the head count at the site to 11 workers.

Data centres are used to house computer equipment, with companies storing their programs and files in such sites so they can be accessed remotely and as a back-up.

Onyx broke into the Scottish market in 2008 by taking over Edinburgh’s Dundas IT and Campbell Lee in Glasgow.

Two of the group’s five data centres are located north of the Border, with about 50 of its 120 staff based in Scotland.

Hugh Gillen, managing director of infrastructure at Onyx, said: “The demand for data centre services in Scotland is continuing to grow.”

In keeping with the firm’s tradition, the latest data hall has been named after a whisky – Balblair – to honour Inver House Distillers, one of the company’s clients. Other data halls are named after Glenfiddich and Glenmorangie.

Last year Onyx won a £3m contract from Edinburgh ­airport.

Other customers include sausage-skin maker Devro, Robert Wiseman Dairies, law firm Harper Macleod, haulier Eddie Stobbart and Scottish Friendly Assurance.

Isis Equity Partners backed a £27m management buyout at Onyx in late 2011, giving the firm £15m to fund expansion and acquisitions.