After more than 24 years of providing IT support throughout North Vancouver Island, a small Courtenay-based IT company has been acquired.

OnDeck Systems Inc., which formed in 1993 in the Comox Valley, recently announced the formation of a strategic partnership/acquisition with F12.net.

F12 is an IT service provider based out of Edmonton.

OnDeck director of operations Naomi Carmichael said the two companies are very familiar with each other. Both are members of the Trust X Alliance, which is a peer technology group in Canada and the United States.

鈥淏ased on our current growth rate, as more and more businesses make us their first choice for IT, we knew we needed to significantly increase our infrastructure,鈥� said Carmichael. 鈥淎s we explored ways to do so, the opportunity for a partnership with F12 presented itself. As part of [the same] peer technology group [as us], we鈥檝e admired and respected this company for well over a decade.鈥�

Through its acquisition of OnDeck, F12 鈥� which formed in 1992 鈥� will be able to expand its business into B.C. for the first time. The company currently has offices in Alberta and Ontario.

鈥淲ith the fast pace of the IT industry and a growing demand for nation-wide services, F12鈥檚 acquisition of OnDeck aligns with our strategy to supply the province of British Columbia with all-inclusive IT service programs that propel organizations forward,鈥� said F12 CEO Alex Webb in a statement.

Carmichael, who will become the Vancouver Island regional manager for F12, said the acquisition will provide the company with the infrastructure to be able to give its clients a 鈥渨ider range of services.鈥�

鈥淎s we were growing, we found that we needed help and more back-end support to be able to provide our customers what we want to provide. They鈥檙e giving us the ability to do that,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his partnership brings us the instant back-end we need to continue providing the level of support we鈥檝e become trusted for, and will enable us to provide that to more clients too.鈥�

鈥淲hile we鈥檙e a little sad to retire the OnDeck name, we are genuinely excited about the future,鈥� she continued. 鈥淲e鈥檝e built something great over the last nearly 25 years, and look forward to this partnership allowing us to continue over the next 25.鈥�

The acquisition of OnDeck marks F12鈥檚 third acquisition in the last two years and its fifth overall.

Despite the acquisition, OnDeck鈥檚 five employees will continue to work and operate in the Comox Valley.