Farnborough defence consultancy SiXworks snapped up by IBM

SiXworks, a Farnborough-based consultancy serving the UK defence sector and a trusted partner of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), has been bought by IBM.

Founded in 2017, SiXworks is a provider of secure digital solutions, specialising in end-to-end digital transformation – from defining requirements to delivery and post-deployment maintenance.

It now joins IBM Consulting as part of the public sector industry team, complementing the tech giant’s existing cybersecurity, data and AI offering in the UK.

“IBM is the perfect partner to continue our growth journey,” said SiXworks CEO Steve Rawsthorn.

“We will continue to operate autonomously while benefiting from IBM’s scale, as well as complimentary resource, expertise, and technology in areas like AI and quantum computing.

“Being part of IBM Consulting will allow us to remain technology agnostic and vendor neutral, while pursuing larger and broader opportunities across defence and national security.”

Rahul Kalia, managing partner for UK and Ireland at IBM Consulting, added: “This strategic acquisition deepens IBM’s ability to serve clients in the UK defence sector, adding even more highly specialised industry and technical skills across digital, cyber and cloud solutions.

“SiXworks will benefit from IBM’s world class portfolio of products, services and ecosystem partnerships to deliver enhanced value to our clients.

“A big IBM welcome to the fantastic SiXworks team!”