Cybersecurity provider BlueVoyant has opened a new SOC in Leeds, Yorkshire, UK.
It will be used to monitor BlueVoyant clients’ digital ecosystems for threats while allowing for in-person meetings between BlueVoyant and its clients.
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In-person contact time with clients is vital to ensure mutual trust and understanding of cyberthreats, according to the company.
The Leeds site is BlueVoyant’s first SOC in the UK since it began its UK expansion in 2017.
The opening ceremony on 23 April was attended by Leeds’ Lord Mayor Al Garthwaite, who praised BlueVoyant’s commitment to including women in cybersecurity.
The new SOC will provide 20 new jobs in the area.
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By GlobalDataBlueVoyant’s global head of MDR, Milan Patel, told Verdict that it had chosen Leeds due to its burgeoning cyber talent pool.
Looking ahead, Patel also stated that BlueVoyant would be interested in hiring younger talent from local colleges and universities.
“I am hoping we can attract students who want to work here and come into the office and actually be in the SOC to learn what it is like to handle security cases versus just what is in a textbook,” Patel said.
“The training you get in college and the education system is excellent, but it becomes very academic, and the reality is very different,” he added.
Patel stated that BlueVoyant’s workforce included many self-trained employees who fostered their own ambitions in cybersecurity, without the need for a formal background in tech.
“In [the tech industry], it is very similar to what happens in construction… there is always an apprenticeship before you get your [plumbing or electrician] licence, you can’t do the job without actually being on the ground working,” he stated.
For Patel, the best employees in cyber defence are people who harbour a natural interest and talent.
“I have a good friend who was an economics major and is now an unbelievable developer – you would think he grew up in technology,” Patel said.
BlueVoyant also announced that it would be opening a SOC in Cork, Ireland, this July to serve the EU market.
