Orange acquired cybersecurity services company SecureData, a move the operator group said will reinforce its strategic position in this market.

SecureData was said to be the largest cybersecurity service provider in the UK, which is the largest market in Europe. It has more than 200 staff in the UK and South Africa, and is “well positioned on the strategically-key British and Anglophone cybersecurity market”.

It recorded annual revenue of around €50 million in 2018 and has apparently seen consistent growth rates of approximately 20 per cent since 2016.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The deal also sees something of a renewed commitment to the UK market by Orange after the sale of its core operations in the country through the sale of EE to BT in 2015.

Working alongside Orange Cyberdefense’s existing operations in France and Belgium, SecureData will have access to Orange Business Services’ existing sales force and customer base of more than 3,000 multinational companies. Its Security Operations Centre will “reinforce Orange Cyberdefense’s international reach”, joining an existing network of nine centres dedicated to monitoring and responding to security breaches.

Ian Brown, executive chairman of SecureData, said: “By being part of Orange we will be able to better serve the international needs of many of our existing customers as well as providing enhanced cyber services to Orange customers within the UK”.