Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 18 | Page 9

NEWS Orange acquires SecureLink and accelerates leadership in European cybersecurity industry O n May 7, 2019, Orange entered into an agreement with Investcorp to acquire 100% of SecureLink on a €515 million Enterprise Value basis. SecureLink, based in the Netherlands, is one of the largest independent cybersecurity services providers in Europe. SecureLink provides a full range of cybersecurity services to support its clients. Its offering includes specialised security consulting, security maintenance and support with 24/7 service desks (SOCs) as well as advanced managed detection and response capabilities (MDR). With this acquisition, Orange becomes one of the European leaders of cybersecurity with c.1,800 employees, more than €600 million PF revenues in 2018 and strong positions in major local markets through its unique European DNA and a comprehensive cybersecurity services offering. This transaction greatly accelerates Orange’s strategy to become a pan-European leader in cybersecurity services. With an extended European footprint and increased capabilities, the combined organisation will be able to address the growing and increasingly complex security needs of its customers on a global scale and deliver strong synergies with the expertise and worldwide presence of Orange Business Services, serving more than 3,000 multinational enterprises. and SecureLink, Orange has the highest scale to anticipate and fend off attacks, as well as local defence teams in all the main European markets, positioning the combined organisation as the go-to defence specialist,” said Hugues Foulon, Executive Director of Cybersecurity at Orange. “Cybersecurity is a growing priority for companies of all sizes and we believe the two most important success factors are scale and proximity. Scale because today’s threats are global, complex and require matching protection capabilities. Proximity because in the global IT world, you want a trusted local partner to secure your most strategic assets. With the acquisition of SecureData ///////////////// Orange Belgium takes over ICT integrator, BKM, and reinforces its B2B activity O range Belgium and the shareholders of Upsize NV have signed an agreement related to the acquisition of Upsize NV and its subsidiary companies, BKM NV, and CC@PS. With this acquisition, Orange Belgium will extend its B2B offering with BKM’s Unified Communications & Collaboration and ICT solutions, and answer to a growing demand of its B2B customers for a single connectivity and ICT provider. BKM is a nationwide ICT integrator, with a solid track record in the SME and CMA markets in Belgium. It offers high-quality ICT solutions in four separate areas of expertise: Unified Communications & Collaboration (UCC) solutions, IT & security solutions, Document & Visual solutions and Connectivity solutions. Moreover, BKM is a pioneer in cloud UCC solutions. Over the last 25 years, BKM has become a reliable reference in the B2B market. In 2018, the company generated €43 million pro-forma revenues. For Orange Belgium, this acquisition carries an enterprise value of €52.4 million and represents a unique opportunity to extend its connectivity solutions portfolio and enrich its B2B offering. The combination of Orange Belgium’s connectivity network and BKM’s ICT network will enable Orange Belgium’s and BKM’s customers to benefit from a one-stop-shop ecosystem. With this acquisition, Orange Belgium will welcome 230 team members with high-skilled ICT profiles. Michaël Trabbia, CEO of Orange Belgium, said: “I am delighted to welcome the BKM teams to the Orange family. Following up on our B2B strategic ambitions, this acquisition will allow us to enhance our B2B offers and services to both Orange Belgium’s and BKM’s customers. Together, we will further challenge the ICT and connectivity markets and leverage cross-selling opportunities.” www.intelligentcio.com INTELLIGENTCIO 9