Skout, founded by Irish entrepreneur Aidan Kehoe, is boosting employment in Portlaoise.
30 high-value jobs are being created in Portlaoise with the opening of a new EMEA headquarters for cybersecurity player Skout Secure Intelligence.
Staff functions at the new location in Portlaoise will be divided between management, sales and business development, and engineering and technical support. The recruitment process will start immediately and Skout is interested in hearing from emerging tech talent at college and university level.
“Skout Secure Intelligence will join a growing cluster of cybersecurity firms already based here,” said the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys, TD.
“Our workforce has the technical skills available to enable companies like this to grow and embed their operations in Ireland, and I wish them well for the future.”
Ambitious plans
Founded by Irish entrepreneur Aidan Kehoe, Skout’s current management team consists of executives from global Fortune 1000 companies such as Nokia, Blackstone, Scholastic, Condé Nast and Citi Group, as well as team members from various US government agencies such as the US Cyber Command, the NSA, the FBI and Air Force Intelligence.
“We have ambitious expansion and hiring plans for our business in the EMEA region,” said JP Kehoe, senior director of EMEA at Skout.
“As our operations run 24/7, we view Ireland as a critical digital hub that allows us to service our clients across the EMEA region.
“We believe that there are a lot of talented people who are looking to have a great career in cybersecurity and we are looking to meet people who share our ambition.”
Skout combines a proprietary blend of cloud-based technologies and data analytics with extensive customer service to offer easy-to-use and affordable cybersecurity for businesses.
Crucially, the platform focuses on personal communication to make security technology accessible to non-experts.
Skout estimates that there are 1.5m job openings in the cybersecurity industry, indicating a fierce war for talent in the space.
“We have located in Ireland because of the pool of talented professionals which will support our expansion and allow us integrate our operations for US clients trying to deal with the new GDPR requirements that came into effect in May,” said Skout CTO Jessvin Thomas.
The news is an endorsement for Ireland in the cybersecurity space, said Mary Buckley, executive director of IDA Ireland.
“Ireland’s reputation at the forefront of cybersecurity is further strengthened by Skout’s decision to establish its EMEA HQ in Portlaoise with the creation of 30 jobs. Access to highly skilled technical talent, the cluster effect of related businesses and the ease of doing business were all contributing factors when deciding to locate their cyber business here.
“It is great that Portlaoise in a regional location meets all of these requisite needs, and I wish Skout every success for its future operations,” Buckley said.
