Acronis extends Manchester City data protection deal

Acronis has renewed its long-term partnership with Manchester City, extending its role in the club's data protection and backup arrangements across IT environments in the United Kingdom.

The agreement continues a relationship that began in 2018. Manchester City has used Acronis software as part of its backup strategy over that period, as professional sports organisations place greater emphasis on resilience and continuity across digital operations.

Under the latest deal, the club will continue to use Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud for data backup and protection. The product covers data across physical, virtual, and application environments, the companies said.

Manchester City and other elite clubs generate large volumes of data across sporting performance, business operations, and digital services. As that footprint grows, IT teams face greater pressure to keep critical systems available while managing security risks.

Acronis positioned its platform as a single system for backup and protection, arguing it is simpler to manage than running separate tools across different environments.

The company also said its technology has supported Manchester City through a period of sustained growth without requiring additional IT resources. It added that the software supplements existing infrastructure and streamlines backup processes while maintaining protection and operational continuity.

Sport and security

The renewal reflects a wider trend in professional sport, where clubs and leagues increasingly operate like large consumer-facing businesses. Teams run global media channels, manage customer data linked to ticketing and retail, and rely on performance analysis systems. Those systems raise the potential operational impact of cyber incidents and data loss.

Manchester City is part of City Football Group, which oversees multiple clubs in different markets. Shared services and common technology approaches can bring consistency, but they also increase the need for clear controls around access, backups, and recovery.

The announcement did not disclose financial terms or the length of the extension, describing it only as a renewal of a long-term partnership.

Jeremy Way, Vice President - Partnerships at City Football Group, described the relationship as a response to rising demand for data services and protection.

"Throughout our partnership with Acronis, we've benefited from their technical expertise and strong solutions as our data needs have continued to grow. "This extension reflects the value we place on our continued relationship with Acronis, and we look forward to building on the partnership in the future," said Jeremy Way, Vice President - Partnerships, City Football Group.

For Acronis, the extension retains a high-profile customer within its sports portfolio. Technology suppliers increasingly use sports partnerships to build visibility and showcase use cases that demand resilience and uptime.

Ronan McCurtin, Regional Vice President at Acronis, linked the renewal to the length of the relationship and the club's on-field record during that period.

"We are pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with Manchester City, and to mark the many years we have worked together during a period of sustained success for the club. "We are proud to remain a trusted partner to a team that continues to set the benchmark in elite football and operates at the highest professional standards," said Ronan McCurtin, Regional Vice President, Acronis.

Channel programme

Acronis also highlighted its #TeamUp Program, which it said is open to service providers that want to deliver Acronis cyber protection products to professional sports teams. The company sells through managed service providers and other partners, alongside direct relationships with some organisations.

Acronis describes itself as a cyber protection company, with products spanning cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management. It said it operates globally and sells Acronis Cyber Protect in 150 countries, with support for 26 languages.

Acronis said more than 21,000 service providers use its products, protecting over 750,000 businesses. Founded in 2003, the company said it has 15 offices worldwide and employees in more than 50 countries.

Manchester City's technology estate continues to expand alongside the club's commercial activities and digital services, keeping data protection and recovery central to day-to-day operations.