After St. Joseph tech firm acquisition, Online Tech expands to KC
April 20, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Ann Arbor-based Online Tech has acquired a St. Joseph, Mo. cloud firm, paving the way for its expansion into Kansas City.
The cloud security company announced Thursday that it purchased St. Joseph-based Echo Cloud, which provides colocation and cloud hosting services.
Echo Cloud CEO Bill Severn said he’s pleased to be joining the Online Tech team.
“I believe the values we hold match Online Tech’s very well, and I think this will be a great partnership moving forward,” Severn said in a release. “Online Tech has been a leader in compliance for many years,I’m pleased we can now offer HIPAA- or PCI-compliant data hosting to our existing customers here in Kansas City.”
Allowing for easier service management, Severn added that the companies will combine their existing services into Online Tech’s client platform. Wanting to tap the Kansas City market, Online Tech was interested in Echo Cloud for its ability to grow in the Midwest.
With offices in Michigan and Indiana, CEO of Online Tech CEO Yan Ness is excited to expand the firm’s product line.
“I’m very pleased with this deal,” Ness said in a release. “We really like the Kansas City market. There’s lots of demand that we think is underserved, and this is a great opportunity to provide companies in the area with our secure, compliant hybrid IT services.”
Severn, who declined to disclose the amount of the acquisition, will no longer serve as CEO for Echo Cloud, but will stay on the board of directors for Online Tech. The firm will maintain its offices in St. Joseph, Mo.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
With boost to $31M in funding, how will state agency power MO innovation? Check out its plan
Two months after Gov. Mike Parson and legislators bumped the Missouri Technology Corporation’s budget back into the double digits, the state-funded investment agency introduced its plan for implementing five new strategies designed to catalyze innovation and entrepreneurship in Missouri. Presented early this month at the Governor’s Conference on Economic Development, MTC released an execution roadmap…
DHS grant boosts more than federal agents’ safety — backing Kenzen’s high-growth expansion
A federal grant program dedicated to innovating new solutions to prevent crisis-level scenarios was a timely fit for Kenzen’s wearable, heat-sensing safety tech, said CEO Heidi Lehmann, detailing the Kansas City startup’s recent funding award and move into “high-growth mode.” Kenzen this summer received a $161,600 grant through the Department of Homeland Security’s Silicon Valley…
How one founder plans to use blockchain to bring equity, transparency to the ‘American Dream’ — buying a home
After back-to-back home-buying nightmares — where predatory practices left Louis Byrd with mounting bills from unexpected repairs — the Kansas City entrepreneur and creative force plans to launch a new blockchain-infused solution to increase transparency for homebuyers. The first tech product from Byrd’s Zanago Design, Kataba is expected to allow potential buyers to verify titles,…
These shoes are made for girls combat sports; now you can buy a pair down the street
A Kansas woman’s mission to bring girls’ athletic gear to traditionally male sports scored a big win this week as Yes! Athletics announced its move from online-only sales to local store shelves. Furthering its reach beyond the Yes! Athletics website, the shoe brand can be purchased at three Jock’s Nitch Sports stores in Kansas —…