Provista heading south and looking to double staff

COMPUTER network specialist Provista has become the latest Scottish IT company to unveil expansion plans as it opens its first office south of the Border and looks to double its headcount.

Southern site: Stuart Little

The Hamilton-based firm – which lists temporary power supplier Aggreko, international law firm Pinsent Masons and energy research outfit Wood Mackenzie among its customers – is opening a site in Birmingham.

The company, which is the largest partner in Scotland used by US network giant Cisco, has grown from three staff when it was founded in 2006 to 19 workers. Now it plans to double its headcount to 38 by 2016, with revenues expected to hit £7.5 million from £4.6m.

The company’s recent projects have included providing wifi for visitors to the Edinburgh International Book Festival, on behalf of investment manager Baillie Gifford, one of the firm’s clients.

Stuart Little, one of the directors and owners of the business, said: “Our work with Pinsent Masons and a big construction firm had led us to open an office in Birmingham. We would look to add clients in professional services and other markets.”

Provista is the latest in a string of IT firms that have unveiled expansion plans. Onyx – the Teesside-based firm that has about half of its operations north of the Border – last week revealed details of its fifth data hall at its centre in Edinburgh.

Earlier this month, Inchinan-based Amor Group rolled out plans for international expansion after being sold to US defence firm Lockheed Martin.