Ocius Digital acquires Flying Fox IT to launch cloud services in UK

Australian cloud integrator and Xero partner Ocius Digital has launched in the UK, with the acquisition of cloud services provider Flying Fox IT. 

Since 2012, Ocius Digital has helped more than 300 businesses to grow across Australia, the US and the UK, by harnessing the best cloud technologies. 

Looking to the future, Ocius Digital director Dan Fairbairn began discussions with Flying Fox IT director Jonathan Fox late last year. Six months later, the exciting move has been announced.

Established in 2008, Xero Certified company Flying Fox IT specialises in Google Cloud and Xero integration for small businesses. Dan says with a partner like Jonathan leading Ocius Digital UK, “the opportunities are huge and we both expect 2 plus 2 to equal 600.”

Small business adoption of cloud services continues to grow, transforming the structure of business, and causing organisations to reshape everything they do; from how they recruit to how they run their business. Following the US, the UK has the second highest number of ‘heavy’ cloud software users. As business owners continue to embrace mobile cloud-based technology, there is more demand than ever for the services provided by Ocius Digital.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of a country’s economy, but historically the best technology has only been available to large businesses with deep pockets,” says Jonathan. “The cloud has transformed access to technology, and when the right technology is implemented in a small business, the results can be astounding.”

Having worked together remotely in the past, Dan presented his idea to Jonathan in August last year. For Dan, his visit to Xero conference XEROCON in 2016 was a turning point and discussions with Jonathan began in earnest.

“The messaging from Xero was so powerful,” says Dan, “and I realised so was the opportunity for exporting professional services. I remember heading to the airport after day two, and I couldn’t wait until 5pm so I could connect with Jonathan online. My flight was leaving, and I picked up the phone and shouted, ‘we need to f#$ing do this!’” He says the beer or two at the airport probably helped.

Dan spent the flight from Brisbane to Melbourne madly taking notes.

“I'll never forget how excited Dan was when we first spoke about this venture,” explains Jonathan. “We caught up in the UK when Dan was visiting family, and we found that we related to each other, we have the same belief, the same philosophy, the same drive to make as big a difference as possible.”

“The prospect of going global appealed to both of us. For me, becoming the Managing Director of Ocius Digital UK will help me achieve my goal of making a bigger difference to small businesses across the UK, and beyond.”

Dan says cloud accounting is the new engine running small businesses, and cloud accounting software Xero is at the heart of the new financial web. 

“The smartest, most engaged people are in the cloud,” he says. “The biggest and fastest uptake of technology in the history of the human race is internet connected devices. It is truly revolutionising the world.”

“Jonathan and Flying Fox IT embody the skills, the passion and the values at the core of Ocius Digital. This acquisition means we can leverage the skills, knowledge and experience from Australia and hit the ground running in the UK.”

Want to know more? Email dan@ociusdigital.com or jonathan@ociusdigital.com.

Connect with both on Twitter @ocius_dan and @ocius_jonathan.