After the French Atheos in 2014 and Lexsi in 2016, the Dutch SecureLink in 2019 and the British SecureData the same year, Orange Cyberdefense is returning to strengthening through external growth. The company has just completed at the beginning of November the acquisition of two Swiss companies, SCRT and Telsys, for an undisclosed amount.
#Hurry Hello Switzerland! @OrangeCyberFR, the cybersecurity subsidiary of Orange, acquires the Swiss companies SCRT and Telsys. Orange Cyberdefense is pursuing its ambitious strategy to become the European leader in #cybersecurity. Welcome to the family! https://t.co/JvTsXVb2T8 pic.twitter.com/Dk62DnJThn
— Orange Cyberdefense France (@OrangeCyberFR) November 14, 2022
three year break
The external growth operation is not surprising. Orange Cyberdefense had already announced that it was looking for good deals to grow even more a year ago. After a three-year break, marked by the pandemic, it’s done.
The two acquisitions come after a profound renewal of top management. Stéphane Richard has been replaced by Christel Heydemann at the head of the telecom operator, while Hugues Foulon, already in charge of cybersecurity in the group since 2018, now has free rein since the departure of Michel Van Den Berghe in the spring. 2021.
On paper, these two takeovers seem promising for this central player in French cybersecurity. According to the company, SCRT is thus the leader on the French-speaking cybersecurity market. In total, the two acquired companies employ around 100 people and offer services, ethical hacking, consulting, remediation in the event of a crisis, or even management of IT solutions.
Target of one billion euros in turnover
“These new quality teams increase all of our capacities”, declared Hugues Foulon. Orange Cyberdefense, which has 2,700 researchers and analysts, hopes to accelerate its expansion on Swiss-German territory with these new troops, Switzerland being overall the seventh European cybersecurity market.
Orange Cyberdefense now claims a presence in nine European countries: Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, Sweden and Switzerland.
The company, which is aiming for the position of European leader in cybersecurity, wants to reach a turnover of one billion euros next year, of which around a third is made in France.