Closing Down Platform IQ
When I first started Platform IQ back in October of 2007, I never imagined what it would bring me over the years. Initially, it was primarily about being an independent consultant for the Revive Adserver software, but within a few years I also saw and captured opportunities offering a specialized hosting service for the software, and developing plugins for it. All of these services and products really took off in a big way.
After working with several external hosting companies, in 2014 it started to become clear that a more flexible and specialized hosting provider would be required to handle the continued growth of the hosting service. There was more and more business from customers outside of Europe, and the hosting provider at the time was unable to accommodate this.
This resulted in the formation of a sister company in January of 2015, a spin-off if you will, called Aqua Platform. I found great partnerships with my co-founders in the new company, and their expertise and efforts enabled me to migrate the entire hosting business to the newly created platform within a short period of time.
Subsequently, Aqua Platform also started offering Revive Adserver hosting services to the international market, and much to our delight, we attracted many new customers within a few months, and in the following years.
Erik Geurts
Founder, Managing Director | Platform IQ
Like every other company, Platform IQ has seen customers leaving over time. The effects of the corona pandemic in 2020 have accelerated this process. In addition, all new business opportunities that presented themselves for Platform IQ were directed towards Aqua Platform. As a result of these developments, we’ve seen tremendous growth at Aqua Platform, once again proving that our services are in great demand there.
This is probably also stimulated by the debate around privacy and data protection in the digital advertising space. Since the Revive Adserver software handles personal data in a very responsible and transparent manner, and since the business model for Aqua Platform does not rely on selling data, our Revive Adserver hosting offering has proven to be a very attractive service for many new customers this year. In addition, customers tell us our customer support is second to none, and our rates and fees are very competitive.
Now, at the end of 2020, Aqua Platform is about 60 times larger than Platform IQ, both in terms of hosting volumes and monthly revenue. But more importantly, Aqua Platform has shown that it is very rewarding to work with a small group of partners who are just as dedicated and focused as I try to be.
This has triggered me to think about the next couple of years, and if it is useful to continue with Platform IQ, while I’m actually spending much more time on Aqua Platform nowadays. To some degree, Platform IQ has become a kind of reseller of the services operated by Aqua Platform, and in day to day life, much of what goes on in Platform IQ is being handled by Aqua Platform.
After the switch-over has been completed, Platform IQ will be dissolved on the last day of 2020. A remarkable adventure, which has brought me so much more than I could ever have imagined when I started back in 2007, will have come to an end. But at the same time, it’s the start of a new and even more exciting phase, enabling me to focus on the continued growth of Aqua Platform.
In the coming weeks and months, every current customer at Platform IQ will be approached individually, to inform them about the upcoming changes, and to help them make the switch towards becoming an Aqua Platform customer.
