A provider of real-time internet and email filtering solutions, has been sold by its shareholders – including Archangel Investors and Scottish Investment Bank – to US-based Akamai Technologies.

Livingston-based Bloxx was established in 1999 and has grown to become one of the world’s leading providers of web and email filtering for medium sized and large organisations in education, business and the public sectors, helping to protect 800 million devices across the globe.

It employs 55 people at its offices in Livingston and Newton, Massachusetts. Its acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, is expected to complement Akamai’s enterprise security strategy for protecting enterprises and their employees from internet threats.

Akamai is the global leader in content delivery network services designed to make the internet fast, reliable and secure for its customers.

Niki McKenzie, investment executive at Archangels, said: “We are confident that the business will thrive as part of Akamai, whose world-leading credentials in content delivery are second to none.”

Kerry Sharp, head of the Scottish Investment Bank said: “Since 2003, Scottish Enterprise has worked closely with Bloxx to provide an integrated package of support and investment to help the company realise its growth potential, both in the UK and internationally.  We look forward to Bloxx continuing to flourish as part of the Akamai organisation post acquisition.”