Alstom IT rebrand goes back to the future

A year on from its management buyout Alstom IT has rebranded itself as the itX Group.

The name-change, which officially takes place today, is in line with the terms and conditions of the October 2004 acquisition, general manager Greg Newham said.

“Because we initially didn’t want to radically change the business we had a licence to use the Alstom name for a period of time,” he said. “That time has ended.

“We’re not changing the management or anything else. We just need our own name and identity going forward.”

The rebrand is part of a long history of acquisitions and renaming that started with GEC IT division in 1982.

In 1991 Lionel Singer registered i.t.connXions (itX) as a trading name. Then in 1991 GEC Alsthom acquired Lionel Singer. In 1998 GEC Alsthom floated, changing its name to Alstom, eventually leading to the management buyout and rebrand to itX.

“In a way itX is back to the future, but we decided it was the most appropriate way to go,” Newham said. “The Alstom image was a bit staid but this new name and logo are much more lively."

Looking ahead, Newham said solutions based around Sun and Citrix would continue to form the core of the company’s offerings.

“New products like Red Hat and BakBone are also great opportunities for us as we build up a portfolio that’s an alternative to everyone else's offerings,” he said.