Governance & Risk Management , Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP)
Accenture Buys Innotec Security to Expand Footprint in Spain
Innotec Deal Will Allow Accenture to Support Global Companies With Spanish PresenceAccenture purchased one of Spain's most prominent cybersecurity service providers to better support multinational companies with a presence in the country.
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The Dublin, Ireland-based consulting giant said its buy of Madrid-based Innotec Security will add 500 cyber professionals with expertise across threat simulation, incident management and cyber intelligence to Accenture Security's 20,000-person staff. The deal will allow Accenture to assist global companies with Spanish headquarters as well as European or Latin American companies with Spanish offices (see: Accenture Acquires Morphus to Take on Cyber Fraud in Brazil).
"Our strategy is to strengthen our domestic, in-country business in Spain," Accenture Security Global Lead Paolo Dal Cin told Information Security Media Group. "But the broader strategy is to have stronger service across the broader European region."
What Innotec Brings to the Table
More than half of Innotec's security practitioners hold at least one third-party certification with knowledge across forensics, threat hunting and managed threat defense as well as expertise around major vendors including Microsoft and Palo Alto Networks, Dal Cin said. Accenture Security had 500 Spanish employees prior to buying Innotec, though they served primarily global clients rather than local ones.
Although Spain is one of the five largest markets in Europe - behind only the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy - Dal Cin said Accenture Security was "underpenetrated" when it came to serving the local market. Innotec excels at serving government and critical infrastructure organizations but also has capabilities across financial services and transportation, while Accenture focuses on Global 2000 firms.
"The broader strategy is to have stronger service across the broader European region."
– Paolo Dal Cin, global lead, Accenture Security
Critical infrastructure organizations and government agencies must have the top-level certification around the capability they own, and Innotec's rich collection of certification means the company is used by many leading organizations in Spain. For Innotec, becoming part of Accenture means customers will have access to around-the-clock managed service capabilities across the entire globe, Dal Cin said.
Existing Innotec clients will benefit from the investments Accenture has made alongside Google and Microsoft in managed extended detection and response as well as the money Accenture has sunk into helping clients migrate from traditional, on-premises security information and events management to a cloud-based SIEM with as-a-service capabilities and security orchestration, automation and response.
How Accenture Plans to Integrate Innotec
Accenture plans to maintain the Innotec brand in the short term and to keep its local operations in Spain separate for a couple of months, Dal Cin said. Innotec's technology will be integrated into the broader Accenture Security framework in the medium term, and Dal Cin expects the integration to be complete within a year.
From a metrics standpoint, Dal Cin said, Accenture Security will closely track client satisfaction, revenue growth and headcount growth, with the goal of doubling its Spanish employee count within the next two or three years. Accenture Security grew approximately 24% in the most recent fiscal year to $7.2 billion in global revenue, which at its present rate means the entity would double sales every few years.
"I am excited to serve the CISO community even better," Dal Cin said. "Combining the two components will provide one hopefully amazing way to serve the client."