Move broadens Northdoor’s capabilities in software development and furthers its expansion into financial services

Leading IT consultancy Northdoor has today announced the acquisition of Linksfield Technologies, an IT consultancy and software development company specialising in Microsoft technologies. The acquisition is the first during David Ballard’s tenure as CEO of Northdoor and further expands Northdoor’s presence in the financial services and professional services industries.

As a Microsoft partner accredited in Portals & Collaboration (Gold), Business Intelligence and Data Platform, Linksfield Technologies will not only complement but also advance Northdoor’s experience and expertise. The acquisition also adds a number of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, such as Financial Sanctions Register (FSR) Checker, Key Facts Illustration and Document Vault, to Northdoor’s service portfolio. Linksfield clients include Burdale Financial, Huddle, Investec, Medivet, and the Stenham Group.

David Ballard, CEO of Northdoor, said:
“Northdoor has ambitious goals for expansion in 2012 and beyond. While we have consistently delivered organic growth, we continue to search for acquisition and partnership opportunities that will help us to exceed our targets. Linksfield Technologies not only has a great customer base but also a range of services and skills that are compatible with ours. We’re confident that this compatibility with our strengths in financial services will deliver value for Northdoor as well as Linksfield clients.”

“I am delighted that in Northdoor we have found a company which shares our belief in the value of independent thinking, born out of industry experience, creativity and practicality,” stated Stuart Elliston, Managing Director of Linksfield.

Linksfield was founded in 1999.  The Linksfield team, based in London, is experienced in deploying a number of different software development methodologies, ranging from waterfall-based / SSADM approaches to the more modern agile methodologies, such as Extreme Programming and SCRUM.

Founders Larry and Jonathan Shapiro, who withdrew from day-to-day management of the business one year ago, will remain involved with the company on a consulting basis to ensure continuity of services to Linksfield customers. Speaking about the transaction, they stated: “We are delighted with the acquisition by Northdoor of the company we founded 12 years ago, and we feel this represents the next exciting step in Linksfield’s evolution for both our valued clients and our dedicated staff.”

Additional transaction details were not disclosed.