Ignition Bermuda Ltd. has merged consultants from fellow Bermuda IT firm The Omni Group into its team.

In a statement released yesterday, the IT services provider said Omni customers would be switched over to Ignition with immediate effect.

Ignition said the Omni staff brought expertise in IT managed services, cloud computing and VMware to the already 80-plus strong IT team at Ignition.

Earlier this year, the fast-growing company acquired the Fireminds team. Ignition said yesterday it has 5,000 users in 32 countries that leverage Ignition's Global 24 x 7 help desk, remote monitoring services and three data centres in Bermuda, Halifax and Curaçao.

Ignition said its combined IT talent positioned the firm as the leading regional VMware service provider, the backbone of the Private Cloud platform.

"Ignition has seen tremendous growth in 2010 and we sought additional skilled technologists to join our team to help us sustain this growth long term," Ignition chief executive officer Graham Pearson said.

"We found talented Bermudians at Omni who were a great fit."

Michael Branco, Ignition senior vice-president, said: "It is interesting to note that as some local providers take their first steps into cloud computing and managed services, Ignition has all the on-island experts on its team.

"This type of experience can only be earned year after year, thus putting Ignition's managed hosting products years ahead of its competition.

"Our customers benefit from Ignition's extensive experience and significant investment in people and infrastructure. "

Ignition said the The Omni Group fortifies its team by expanding expertise in VMware, Voice over IP solutions, networking and Window system administration. This also makes Ignition a VMware Authorised Consultant and reseller of Veeam backup software for virtual environments.

Founded in 2000, Ignition has grown significantly over the years servicing the insurance, finance, legal and Government sectors.

For more information go to Ignition's website, www.ignitionmsp.com.