Bermuda-based Igility Group has won the IBM agency licence in the Cayman Islands.

It has partnered with a Caymanian entity to form CDS Agencies Ltd. and is responsible for managing all aspects of the business.

Paul Gallagher has been named sales and location manager of CDS. Mr. Gallagher has spent the past four years as sales manager at ACT (an IBM Bermuda reseller). Before coming to Bermuda he spent 10 years in IT sales and management having worked for IBM directly and two IBM Business Partners in the United States.

Aaron Smith, president of Igility and general manager of Bermuda's IBM agency, BCS Agencies Ltd., said the company had moved into the Cayman market in response primarily to the demand from its Bermuda-based clients which had interests there.

And he felt the prospects for expansion were good. "I guess the key thing is that customers are screaming for help and support here," Mr. Smith said, speaking from the Caymans where the new company was launched this Tuesday. "It reminds me of the need for support that we were seeing in Bermuda, maybe ten or 15 years ago."

The Igility Group customers include BCS, Transact, e-moo (which has a Cayman and a Bermuda version), Sbi and Igility North, its Canada-based remote monitoring and back-up and help desk facility.

Commenting on the acquisition, Igility CEO Robin Hamill said: "Expansion into other geographical markets with significant growth potential is core to our strategic initiatives.

"The Cayman Islands represent an increasingly important offshore financial jurisdiction where many of our current clients are locating operations."

Mr. Smith added: "We are very proud that IBM has acknowledged our success in Bermuda and is partnering with us in the Cayman Islands. The IBM brand is very strong and there are many opportunities to leverage the brand in the Cayman market."