Aureos buys Leeds IT firm WhiteSpider to digitise critical infrastructure

What's the deal? Aureos, an engineering services provider for energy and transport networks, has acquired WhiteSpider, a Leeds-based digital transformation and IT services company. The deal value was undisclosed.

Who's who? Founded in 2012, WhiteSpider offers enterprise networking, AI, cyber security, and cloud services, helping organisations build and run secure IT infrastructure. Aureos, operating since 2009, serves UK critical infrastructure owners across renewable energy, power networks, railways, and highways, with projects including Network RailDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, HS2, and National Highways.

The rationale: The deal pairs Aureos' critical national infrastructure expertise with WhiteSpider's IT capabilities. WhiteSpider's existing customers and partners keep the same teams while gaining extra resources.

Why now? "As critical infrastructure becomes increasingly digital and connected, the ability to bring together operational technology, enterprise IT, software and AI will become increasingly important," said Aureos chief executive Darren James.

What's the endgame? Phil Lees, WhiteSpider's managing director, called the deal "an exciting next stage" that lets the company "accelerate our ambitions while retaining the expertise, culture and customer focus that have made WhiteSpider successful."

The signal: The acquisition reflects a growing overlap between operational technology and enterprise IT, as infrastructure owners seek partners that can handle both the physical and digital sides of increasingly connected networks.

Read more: insidermedia.com

Image credit: Generated with Gemini