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The multinational’s planned acquisition would accelerate its growth in France and bolster its cybersecurity capabilities across Europe.
Consulting giant Accenture has announced plans to acquire cybersecurity company Openminded for an undisclosed sum.
Once completed, the deal would bring around 100 highly skilled cybersecurity professionals to Accenture Security’s workforce of nearly 7,000 professionals globally.
Founded in 2008, France-based Openminded helps clients predict and reduce cybersecurity risks, detect and respond to cyberattacks and implement best practices in regulatory compliance.
This purchase will enable Accenture to accelerate growth in France as well as scale its cybersecurity capabilities across Europe
Global lead of Accenture Security, Kelly Bissell, said that with cyberattacks becoming more complex every day, companies must fully embed cybersecurity into every layer of their businesses.
“The acquisition of Openminded supports our commitment to leveraging technology and human ingenuity to help clients be confident and secure in the face of constant change,” he said.
“We look forward to welcoming Openminded’s team to Accenture and helping clients defend against cyber threats more effectively across their entire ecosystem – now and in the future.”
Olivier Girard, market unit lead for Accenture France and Benelux, added that the plan to acquire Openminded is aligned with the company’s “global strategy to provide differentiated robust services” to clients in their local markets.
Openminded’s founder and CEO, Hervé Rousseau, said joining forces with Accenture is a great opportunity for his company. “The alliance of our talent and capabilities perfectly leverages our expertise and would allow us to deliver on a global scale. Today, the fight against cyberattacks requires the implementation of the most advanced technologies, as well as the human resources to make them efficient,” he said.
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.
Accenture became a major cybersecurity provider following its acquisition of Symantec’s cybersecurity services business at the start of 2020. It has continued to expand in this area through acquisitions, including snapping up Brazilian infosec company Real Protect at the beginning of this year.
Other companies Accenture has added to its portfolio in 2021 include UK-headquartered professional services company Cirrus and cloud analytics company Core Complete, as well as Germany’s Fable+ and California’s Imaginea.
