Centripetal is hiring for cybersecurity roles in areas such as security analysis, network operations, engineering, marketing and sales.
US-headquartered cybersecurity business Centripetal is actively recruiting for staff in Ireland following the official opening of its new Galway office.
The company has two offices in the US. Galway is its third location and the base for its EMEA business. Its tech provides cybersecurity intelligence to customers through the cloud so they can deal with potential threats before they happen.
Dave Silke, chief marketing officer for Centripetal, told SiliconRepublic.com that the Galway office will be a hub for the company’s European customers.
Silke said Centripetal plans to reach a headcount of 50 over the next two to three years. He has been quietly setting up the Irish office since last September, alongside a tiny team.
Following a launch event last Friday (26 May), Centripetal is now ready to ramp up its recruitment efforts. Roles are available in areas such as security analysis, network operations, engineering, marketing and sales.
Having already run some job interviews with candidates here, Silke said there is so far not much difficulty in finding talent. While he acknowledged that the company’s hiring campaign has only just begun, he is optimistic that the west of Ireland will come through in terms of providing talented workers.
He said that Centripetal is working with local universities such as Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and University of Galway with a view to collaborating on R&D as well as possible guest lectureships. He is also hopeful that Centripetal will be able to provide internships for local students to introduce them to working in cybersecurity.
As previous interviewees have told SiliconRepublic.com, there is a significant cybersecurity skills shortage and many businesses struggle to get staff.
Silke, however, is hopeful that the recently introduced MSc in Cybersecurity at University of Galway and the cybersecurity programmes at ATU will help the company access talent.
“We want to be able to be part of the curriculum,” he said, before adding that he does not see the universities solely as talent pipelines but as “an ecosystem”.
He pointed out that while Cork would be better known for its cybersecurity cluster, Galway also has a “fairly significant IT ecosystem”.
Cyber Ireland’s national conference is due to take place in Galway in September, for example.
Commenting at the launch event last Friday, Galway native Minister Hildegarde Naughton, TD, described Centripetal’s move to the city as “yet another vote of confidence” in the region.
“Galway was home to a number of significant investment announcements last year including Fidelity Investment, Genesys, SAP and Diligent, so Centripetal are certainly in good company,” she said.
The company’s Irish expansion is being supported by IDA Ireland. Its office is located in IDA Ireland’s Mervue Business Park in the same building where Platform94 relaunched. The social enterprise, formerly known as GTC, provides space for indigenous scale-ups and start-ups as well as space for foreign-owned companies like Centripetal to base themselves.
According to Silke, it is important for Centripetal to have an office space, both for connection to the wider community and to be able to show customers what its tech can do.
As well as hot-desking space for hybrid employees, the office has a separate centre of excellence which will house a large screen that shows clients how the tech spots threats in real time.
Silke said the visual approach is important as most companies “haven’t a clue” when it comes to cyber threats and that by the time an attack reaches the news, we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
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