Abacus London office grows to 129 staff in 10 years

Abacus has marked the 10-year anniversary of its London office, which has grown from one employee to 129 staff.

The office serves as the company's EMEA headquarters and has been part of its global delivery model since opening in 2016. The milestone reflects broader growth across Europe, the Middle East and Africa as Abacus expands its managed IT and cybersecurity services for regulated industries.

Over the past decade, the business has built its presence in financial services and healthcare, where clients face close scrutiny over security, resilience and compliance. It now supports more than 1,200 clients and manages over 100,000 users across 25 countries.

That regional growth has been accompanied by changes to its operating structure. Abacus recently expanded its incident response work in the region, strengthening a follow-the-sun model designed to support clients across time zones.

Headquartered in New York, the company has turned its London operation from a one-person outpost into a regional team responsible for service delivery to clients in highly regulated markets.

Regional growth

Abacus's focus on financial services and healthcare places it in two markets that have remained active buyers of IT management and cyber services. Banks, insurers, asset managers, hospitals and other care providers continue to face pressure to modernise systems while meeting strict requirements on data protection, operational resilience and incident response.

Demand for external providers has also risen as companies contend with cyber threats and a shortage of specialist staff. Managed service firms have used that backdrop to widen their geographic reach and strengthen local response teams, particularly in London, which remains a major centre for financial services technology.

Over the past 10 years, the London office has played a key role in helping clients manage critical technology and has become an important hub for secure IT and professional services across the region.

Chief Executive Officer Anthony D'Ambrosi linked the office's development to the company's wider international growth.

"What began as an entrepreneurial venture from our US presence extending into London some 10 years ago has proven wildly successful beyond our highest expectations. Our consistent growth and deliberate expansion across the EMEA region over this past decade has been just so impressive to behold," D'Ambrosi said.

He added: "The global mindset of our people, our clients and our partners, combined with a culture of focused execution, has led us to our leadership position today. As we look ahead, we remain focused on expanding both our commercial and operational footprint, inclusive of AsiaPAC, to continue to deliver excellence at scale with thoughtful and secure innovation."

Sector focus

The company has concentrated on organisations that need close alignment between technology operations and regulatory obligations. In practice, that means support for infrastructure, cyber defence, cloud environments and incident response, all areas where oversight from regulators and boards has intensified.

London has long been a strategic location for providers serving these sectors because of the concentration of major banks, insurers and specialist healthcare organisations in the city and across the wider region. Building a larger team there gives firms easier access to clients and a base for round-the-clock service models.

Abacus's client roster and user base now extend well beyond the UK, with operations spanning 25 countries. Its headcount growth suggests it has been investing in local capacity as demand rises for support delivered across multiple jurisdictions.

Senior Managing Director, EMEA, Tom Cole said the company planned to maintain the approach that has underpinned its expansion.

"We're proud of what we've built over the past decade, and we're sticking to what's got us here. Laser focused on client satisfaction, whilst securing and servicing clients evolving technological needs." Cole said.

The anniversary comes as managed IT and cybersecurity providers compete for larger roles within clients' operating models, especially in sectors where resilience failures can bring financial penalties and reputational damage. For firms such as Abacus, the challenge is scaling internationally while maintaining the local knowledge and specialist support that regulated customers expect.

From its start with a single London employee, the company's EMEA headquarters now has 129 staff and supports more than 1,200 organisations.