Unusual Systems
Unusual Systems Ltd. is a UK boutique consultancy delivering bespoke software, IT security, and decision support systems for UK defence, government, and enterprise clients, specialising in mission-critical systems for unusual data environments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersLeighton Buzzard, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Unusual Systems does
Unusual Systems Ltd. is a UK-based custom systems consultancy registered in England and Wales (company number 07618694), headquartered in Leighton Buzzard. The firm specialises in building bespoke software systems for what it describes as "unusual situations" — sparse, unreliable, and cluttered data environments across defence, government, space, and enterprise domains. It operates three integrated service pillars: IT Security (penetration testing, security assessments, Cool Blue Training), Software Engineering (bespoke mission-critical systems, legacy modernisation using Java/Spring Boot, Docker, Kubernetes), and Decision Support (information systems for analysts, knowledge distribution research, and training exercises such as IN.Security and the Arnhem Intelligence Exercise).
The company's technical portfolio includes distributed sensor network integration with federated algorithms for hostile environments, mission-critical satellite control systems, big data DDS-based pipelines processing over 2GBps, Palantir-based data warehouses, and bespoke classification catalogues for government archives. Its team of eight includes security-cleared staff, military intelligence trainers, and academically qualified personnel from institutions including Cranfield, Royal Holloway, and Loughborough.
Unusual Systems generates revenue through bespoke professional services engagements on a quote-based, multi-year contract model. Its go-to-market is direct enterprise and government field sales targeting UK defence agencies (DSTL, Home Office Border Force, HMRC), defence primes (Lockheed Martin, QinetiQ, General Dynamics), and large enterprises (Ocado, Logica, Capgemini). The company has no disclosed funding, no parent organisation, and operates as an independent private limited company, tracing its lineage to Small Business Systems operating since the 1990s before rebranding in 2021.
Unusual Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Unusual Systems
- Legal name
- Unusual Systems Ltd.
- Website
- https://unusualsystems.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Unusual Systems Ltd. is a UK boutique consultancy delivering bespoke software, IT security, and decision support systems for UK defence, government, and enterprise clients, specialising in mission-critical systems for unusual data environments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Unusual Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Systems Consulting
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Enterprise Application Security, GRC & Compliance Services (BPAEAGAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- IT Operations, Event & Incident Management (NOC/SOC-to-ITSM) (BPAEAJAH), Insider Threat Program Design & Risk Assessments (BPAKADAM)
Keywords
Where Unusual Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leighton Buzzard
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Unusual Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Professional Services - Software Engineering: Custom software development and engineering services delivered to government agencies, defence contractors, and enterprise clients. Projects range from mission-critical system upgrades to bespoke software solutions.
- Training and Education Services: Critical thinking training, analyst training, and cyber security training programmes including Cool Blue Training for building information systems protection teams.
- Security Assessment and Testing: Penetration testing, security assessments, and compliance testing services for networks, web services, and internal systems with documented results.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom project-based engagements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Unusual Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Unusual Systems is a UK-based custom systems consultancy that designs, builds, and supports bespoke software and decision support systems for unusual circumstances. Its three core service pillars are IT Security (penetration testing, security assessments, and Cool Blue Training), Software Engineering (mission-critical systems, big data pipelines, and legacy modernisation), and Decision Support (analyst training and knowledge distribution systems) for defence, government, and enterprise clients.
Product overview
Unusual Systems is a custom systems consultancy offering three integrated service pillars: IT Security (tailored security assessments, penetration testing, and the Cool Blue Training cyber programme), Software Engineering (delivering bespoke systems from prototypes to mission-critical components), and Decision Support (building information systems and providing analyst training). The company specializes in finding robust answers in sparse, unreliable and cluttered data environments across diverse domains including defence, space, government, and logistics. Their research projects like IN.Security and Arnhem Intelligence Exercise complement their service offerings through training games and exercises.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- IN.Security: A tabletop game to engage non-technical people to help them understand and remember cyber security threats.
- Cool Blue Training
- Arnhem Intelligence Exercise
Products and services
- IT Security Tailored security services covering penetration testing, security assessments, controls implementation, and cyber range training, designed to address business-specific security risks for enterprise and government clients.
- Software Engineering Bespoke information systems for unusual circumstances, ranging from prototypes to mission-critical military and space projects, data warehouses, and complex legacy software upgrades for defence and enterprise customers.
- Decision Support Information software systems for enterprise-level decision makers, including knowledge distribution research, analytic techniques, and analyst training materials for intelligence operators.
- Cool Blue Training Cyber security training programme designed to bring computer-literate but non-technical teams to a competent defence level against basic attacks on mixed Linux/Windows networks, with a specialised role matrix covering explore, harden, monitor, and patrol tasks.
- IN.Security A tabletop board game designed to engage non-technical staff in understanding and remembering cyber security threats and defensive behaviours.
- Arnhem Intelligence Exercise Training exercise based on WW2 Operation Market Garden that helps teams develop abilities to collate, assess, discuss, and communicate using actual historical intelligence reports.
- Searching the Body of Knowledge (SBOK) Academic research project developing systematic approaches to knowledge distribution and literature review for finding answers in existing bodies of knowledge.
Quantifiable outcome
- Search times reduced from weeks to seconds for Home Office Border Force analysts
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Unusual Systems
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Unusual Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature5 records
Unusual Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Knowledge4StrengthcoreCollaboration with Knowledge4Strength partner organisation for knowledge distribution and training initiatives. Joint projects include Arnhem Intelligence Exercise and IN.Security board game development.
- Lancaster EngineeringminorPartnership to evaluate feasibility of launching materials into orbit using gun technology rather than rockets. Joint white papers and research on Lancaster Space Gun project.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Unusual Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Adarga: UK-based AI software company focused on defence and national security decision support. Closely comparable niche — turning unstructured intelligence data into analyst-ready insight — with more productised AI tooling than Unusual Systems' bespoke engineering model.
- Anduril Industries: US-based defence-technology company building autonomous systems and sensor-fusion software. Comparable at the technology-layer (sensor-mesh fusion, mission-critical software) though focused on hardware-software products rather than bespoke services.
Broad incumbents
- Palantir Technologies: Decision-support and data-fusion platform vendor whose technology Unusual Systems has integrated (Home Office Border Force data warehouse on Palantir's distributed database). Overlaps in defence and government decision-support deployments.
- Leidos: US-headquartered defence, intelligence, and civil IT services firm. Comparable in bespoke defence and government systems integration and decision-support tooling, especially for intelligence-community customers.
- Thales UK: UK defence and security division of Thales, covering secure systems, mission-critical software, and cyber. Comparable end-customer overlap (UK MoD, Home Office) though operating as a global prime.
- Booz Allen Hamilton: Major US management and technology consultancy focused on defence, intelligence, and civil government. Closely comparable in the bespoke decision-support, security assessment, and cyber training service mix Unusual Systems offers to UK counterparts.
- CGI Federal / CGI UK: Large IT and business consulting services firm with deep UK government and defence presence. Overlaps with Unusual Systems in HMRC data-pipeline integration and broader public-sector systems integration.
- Leonardo UK: UK arm of Leonardo, providing defence electronics, sensors, and systems. Comparable in mission-critical sensor-fusion and defence-systems delivery, but as a tier-1 prime rather than a boutique engineering supplier.
- BAE Systems Digital Intelligence: Defence and national-security software division of BAE Systems. Operates in the same bespoke-systems-for-government-and-defence space as Unusual Systems, but as part of a much larger portfolio across cyber, intelligence, and systems integration.
Direct peers
- QinetiQ: UK-listed defence technology and security company; Unusual Systems has been a delivery partner on QinetiQ's big-data DDS pipelines. Closely comparable in mission-critical software-for-defence positioning, though at vastly greater scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Unusual Systems social profiles
Digital presenceUnusual Systems compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Unusual Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Unusual Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Unusual Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Unusual Systems M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Unusual Systems
What does Unusual Systems do?
Unusual Systems is a UK-based custom systems consultancy that designs, builds, and supports bespoke software and decision support systems for unusual circumstances. Its three core service pillars are IT Security (penetration testing, security assessments, and Cool Blue Training), Software Engineering (mission-critical systems, big data pipelines, and legacy modernisation), and Decision Support (analyst training and knowledge distribution systems) for defence, government, and enterprise clients.
Is Unusual Systems a public or private company?
Unusual Systems is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Unusual Systems founded?
Unusual Systems was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Unusual Systems based?
Unusual Systems is headquartered in Leighton Buzzard, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Unusual Systems make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Professional Services - Software Engineering is the primary driver. The others are training and Education Services and security Assessment and Testing.
Who are Unusual Systems's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Adarga and Anduril Industries. Broad incumbents are Palantir Technologies, Leidos, Thales UK, Booz Allen Hamilton, CGI Federal / CGI UK, Leonardo UK and BAE Systems Digital Intelligence. QinetiQ is listed as a direct peer.
Does Unusual Systems have an API?
No public API is recorded for Unusual Systems.
What industry is Unusual Systems in?
Unusual Systems's product category is Custom Systems Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAGAL, Enterprise Application Security, GRC & Compliance Services, with a secondary code of BPAEAJAH, IT Operations, Event & Incident Management (NOC/SOC-to-ITSM). Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7373.