Google Cloud buys UK data analytics firm Dataform

Google Cloud has acquired a London-based startup called Dataform that builds tools to manage data flows for enterprise customers.

The terms of the deal haven't been released, but TechCrunch understands that it is an 'acquihire' with Google keen to take on the company's talent.

The company is described as an "operating system" for data warehouses and some of its co-founders are ex-Google employees. Its platform aims to help data-rich businesses draw insights by mining data stored in warehouses.

This is something that usually requires a team of engineers and analysts, but the Dataform system is about making the process simpler and cheaper for organisations.

This is a growing area of data analytics with companies such as Snowflake recently undergoing a successful IPO. Dataform were close to a series A funding round, but have instead chosen to continue its growth under Google.

Under the terms of the deal, Dataform will continue to operate under its management and focus on BigQuery. The Dataform Web will also be made free for all new users from now on with customers transitioned to the free plan immediately.

"After several conversations with the Google Cloud team it became clear that we are deeply aligned on the importance of serving analysts with the right tools and technology in order to fill what we all perceive as a missed opportunity in existing solutions," co-founder and CTO Guillaume-Henri Huon wrote on Dataform's website.

"At the same time, as a team of just seven, in a complex, competitive and rapidly changing market, we had more ideas than we had people or resources to accomplish. There has always been so much more we wanted to do each quarter than we could achieve.

"With the support of the BigQuery and Cloud Analytics teams and our combined thought leadership and efforts, we felt that together we could achieve something bigger than we could separately".