Minister McHugh opens new Cyber Security Centre of Excellence in Letterkenny

LETTERKENNY is proving again that the regions of Ireland can be at the cutting edge of new high-tech business with a global reach, Government Chief Whip Joe McHugh said today as he opened a new cyber security company in the town.

Cyber Risk Aware has opened at the CoLab at LYIT with an initial job creation of eight positions and plans to treble the workforce.

The award-winning company chose Letterkenny as its location because of access to highly qualified local talent.

Fine Gael Minister McHugh said: “I am delighted to perform the official opening of offices housing a world-leading cyber security company.

“I also want to congratulate the team at Cyber Risk Aware because once again this shows how the very best IT people can deliver services worldwide from here in County Donegal, landing contracts in Australia, the United States and Africa.

“Cyber-attacks on both private and State networks have become a major problem in countries across the world and proven responses to protecting those networks are in high demand.

“Here in Letterkenny Cyber Risk Aware are providing high-tech solutions to preventing cyber attacks. Once again Letterkenny is showing that our regions can and do host top class world-leading companies and help them to expand.

“I want to wish Cyber Risk Aware continued success as a truly global company from their Technical Centre of Excellence here at the CoLab.”

Cyber Risk Aware is a leading provider of technology designed to assess and reduce human cybersecurity risk through simulated phishing, cyber security quiz assessments and awareness training.

The Co-Lab centre will be the technical hub for the organisation, providing customer support, application testing and product delivery for its solution which helps organisations to protect against cyber-crime by educating employees on how to identify cyber threats.

Established in January 2016, Cyber Risk Aware is an Irish start-up success story which has grown significantly over the past 18 months. Headquartered in Dublin, it has been identified as a High-Potential Start-up (HPSU) by Enterprise Ireland.

It has established a strong presence mainly in the UK and Ireland markets and is also now winning new clients and channel partners in the US, Africa and Australia.

A recent winner of the “Cyber Security Start up of the Year” the company now has a user base of thousands and there are plans to ramp up sales over the coming year. Its platform is designed for employers to test employees on their response to cyber threats and to identify where extra training is needed.

Cyber Risk Aware is currently hiring new recruits from the local area in web development and IT Support and intends to provide future IT professional and graduate roles in the areas of IT Security, Development, Support and Quality Assurance.

The company selected Letterkenny as the base for activities thanks to its proximity to a pool of local, specialist talent, including Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Sligo Institute of Technology and local Education and Training Boards (ETB), placing it at the heart of a vibrant centre for technical innovation and education.

Speaking at the CoLab today CEO Stephen Burke said: “We’re delighted to announce the opening of the new Centre here in Letterkenny which marks a significant milestone in the company’s growth.

“Our aim is to help organisations of all sizes to reduce the risk of cyber incidents and meet compliance and regulatory requirements by providing the best risk assessment and subsequent awareness training. “There’s never been a greater need for this with cyber criminals increasingly targeting end users with ‘phishing’ emails, in an attempt to gain access to sensitive company information.”

Stephen added: “Key to our growth is having the right team in place to provide world-class service and support. The investment in Letterkenny not only ensures that we are well positioned to deliver this, but also demonstrates our commitment to supporting growth and creating new job opportunities in the Donegal region.”

Minister McHugh said the Government commitment to invest in infrastructure in the North West through the A5/N2/N14 road links will help attract even more investment to the area in the future.

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