Cloud IT firm floats 30 jobs into Capital

The firm, which specialises in cloud computing products, such as Google’s office software applications and Amazon’s online storage service, said it was now the only accredited provider of Google Apps and Amazon Web Services in Scotland.

Cloud computing is a way for businesses to take advantage of storage and services through the internet, saving money on infrastructure and support.

Cloudreach is the second such company to move to Edinburgh recently, following the news last month that Minneapolis-based enStratus had started recruiting key staff ready for opening its European headquarters at Edinburgh University’s Appleton Tower later this year. It said it would create up to 30 highly skilled jobs by the end of 2014.

London-based Cloudreach already works with companies in Scotland, including Irn-Bru maker AG Barr. The business, founded in 2009, employs 80 members of staff and is expected to see 300 per cent revenue growth this year. It hopes to employ a further 20 staff in Edinburgh before the end of the year.

Director and co-founder of Cloudreach, Pontus Noren, said: “Traditional IT systems cost an arm and a leg and many businesses struggle to manage their IT internally. The cloud provides pay-as-you-go IT, where everything you need is instantly available and flexible.

“One of our customers with more than 350 users told us that being able to access his email and IT from his holiday home in Venice was a life-changing experience.

“We chose this location due to the fact that Edinburgh is an attractive marketplace for us and we were keen to make the most of its local skill set and high calibre of employees from local universities. Scottish businesses can now migrate to the cloud with the help of local contacts, and we are thrilled to provide an outpost for cloud computing in Scotland.”

Mr Noren added: “Our Edinburgh office already provides services to customers in Canada and the US, with Asia soon to follow. This will put Edinburgh on the map as a centre of cloud computing as our Edinburgh office will be providing managed services on a global scale.

“Thanks to the increase in our managed services, we hope to move from our current Edinburgh workforce of 30 to 50 employees by the end of 2012.”

Meanwhile, Tom Buchanan, who will be confirmed as the city’s economic development leader tomorrow, said: “I am delighted that [Cloudreach] have chosen Edinburgh. This is another example of Edinburgh leading the way in its ability to look at new technology and examine how it could best place itself in the technology environment.”

Cloudreach’s new office opened at Norloch House in King’s Stables Road on April 16.