Falanx Group acquires Advanced Security Consulting

AIM-listed Falanx Group is acquiring Advanced Security Consulting (ASC) for around £435,000 and is raising around £1.55 million through a share issue and loan notes.

ASC is a cyber security services organisation offering consulting, managed services, penetration testing and training. The organisation covers multiple sectors including financial services, pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

ASC recorded unaudited revenue and pre-tax profits of £348,000 and £222,000 in the year ended 30 September 2015. The net assets of ASC up to that period were £46,000. “ASC has continued to trade well since its last financial year and the acquisition will be immediately earnings-enhancing,” said Falanx.

ASC was founded in 2012 by Jay Abbott, its managing director and sole shareholder. Abbott previously led the UK National Threat & Vulnerability Management Practice of PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Abbott is also the chair of the Competitions Board for the UK Cyber Security Challenge and a member of the Defence and Security Board of TechUK.

He will now become managing director of the Falanx Cyber Division, “driving commercial market penetration, technology roadmap and innovation”, said Falanx.

Falanx will use the proceeds from the share placing and the issue of the loan notes to partially fund the acquisition and “provide further capital for the company as enlarged by the acquisition to execute its growth strategy”.

Chairman of Falanx, Mike Read, said: “We are very excited to be working with Jay Abbott, who is a very highly regarded authority in cyber security. The acquisition will help us to offer new services to our existing blue-chip Falanx Intelligence clients and to a wider range of organisations.”

Falanx’s CEO, John Blamire, added: “Falanx recently restructured to enhance its cyber security services and we now have the foundations in place to offer cost effective solutions to a full range of clients.

“We are working at government level, advising five current UK government departments and agencies, as well as providing solutions to blue chip organisations and SMEs. ASC’s capabilities are entirely complementary to our own and will allow us to offer a compelling and integrated cyber security solution to organisations of all types, delivered by highly qualified experts.”

@AntonySavvas