Alert Logic Chooses Cardiff For EMEA Security Operations Hub

US security services firm Alert Logic is to establish its EMEA headquarters in Cardiff with the aid of a £1.15m grant from the Cardiff Business Council, creating just under 130 jobs in the area.

The Houston, Texas-based company announced its plans on Sunday, saying that it had chosen Cardiff after considering other European capitals. Support from the city and the Welsh government helped Alert Logic make its choice, according to chief executive Gray Hall.

European expansion

Other factors included Cardiff’s transport links, its proximity to London and the availability of skilled staff in the local area, as well as the presence security research programmes at nearby universities, he said.

“We are excited to announce today that Alert Logic is expanding into Europe with the goal of providing better support for our current and future customers,” Hall stated.

The company already has staff in Cardiff, and plans to expand its activities to establish a Security Operations Centre and data centre, providing locally based support services and data storage for EMEA customers. The new facilities will largely be based in the Central Cardiff Enterprise Zone.

Most of the jobs will be in Cardiff, with five positions at a data centre in Newport, the company said. Hires are to include 50 researchers and analysts this year to staff Cardiff-based round-the-clock monitoring services, with more planned for 2015. The company is also planning to build out its sales and marketing teams. The grant funding will go toward new hires, the data centre and training programmes.

Alert Logic has about 350 staff worldwide and offers security services for both on-premises and cloud-based facilities for around 2,500 clients, including more than 300 in the UK. The company already has partnerships with a number UK cloud and managed hosting providers.

Local data storage

Alert Logic said its research found that Europe has the highest volume of security incidents affecting hosting and public cloud infrastructures.

EU enterprises have become more wary of allowing their data to flow outside of Europe following events such as the revelations around the US government’s large-scale surveillance programmes, and this has played a role in companies such as Alert Logic moving to establish themselves in local markets, according to Councillor Phil Bale, leader of the City of Cardiff Council.

“In addition to providing new jobs in a highly skilled field, their investment demonstrates the importance of offering in-country residence of data and specialised compliance,” he stated. “Their expansion will provide local resources to address the critical security requirements of EMEA businesses.”

Economy Minister Edwina Hart said the move shows that South Wales is creating an attractive environment for business growth.

“South Wales has a high concentration of active and innovative companies and university expertise in the trust and security sector,” she said. “The region has a growing recognition as one of the primary locations in the UK for the research, development and commercialisation of security products and services.”

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