Cygilant announced plans to open a new security operation centre in Belfast with support from Invest NI.
Boston-based cybersecurity company Cygilant is bringing 65 jobs to Belfast with its new security operations centre.
The cybersecurity-as-a-service provider offers mid-sized enterprises a cloud-based security monitoring service. The firm has already recruited for 25 of the new roles, while the rest will be filled over the next few years.
Announcing the investment today (19 May), Northern Ireland’s economy minister, Diane Dodds, said announcing new cybersecurity jobs in Northern Ireland is “welcome news” during these challenging times.
“This is an important endorsement of Northern Ireland’s growing reputation for excellence in cybersecurity.”
She added that the new security operations centre will house an information security team responsible for monitoring, analysing and responding to cybersecurity incidents on customers’ behalf.
“When fully operational, this investment will deliver nearly £2.8m in annual salaries to the NI economy. The project will also make a significant contribution to the technology, and in particular the growing cybersecurity sector in Northern Ireland,” Dodds said.
Earlier this year, another US cybersecurity firm, Rapid7, announced plans to establish a new base in Belfast.
‘First foray into the European market’
Cygilant CEO Rob Scott said opening the new security operations centre will be the company’s “first foray into the European market,” adding that the support of Invest NI helped the company with its decision to invest in Belfast.
“When we decided to expand globally, we selected Northern Ireland and, specifically, Belfast for its incredibly skilled talent pool, strong academic links, and the accessibility of the city within Europe and to our home in Boston,” he said.
“The city is also quickly becoming an innovation hub for technology companies including a growing cybersecurity sector, so all the pieces just fit nicely together.”
Invest NI helped the company secure its new property in Belfast city centre and has offered £455,000 of support towards the new jobs.
Cygilant currently employs more than 100 staff globally. Its key sectors include finance, education, healthcare and retail, to name a few.
The new hires will include security operation centre engineers and cybersecurity advisers at different levels of experience. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, all Cygilant NI employees are currently working remotely from home.
