Fujitsu enters cybersecurity market with $300 million investment

The Australian consulting arm of Tokyo-based technology services giant Fujitsu has taken a step into the local cybersecurity market, assembling a team of 300 specialists to launch a new business.

The new Cyber ​​Security Services unit, supported by a three-year investment of $300 million and grown through a series of local acquisitions, will bring together experts in data security, consulting and digital forensics to offer a broad range of services.

Stuart Kilduff, co-founder and CEO of Canberra-based acquisition Oobe, has been appointed to head the new division, which it hopes to tap into the local cyber consulting market, now worth almost $8 billion.

Kilduff said the company’s legacy of innovation and growing ecosystem of strategic partners will enable it to deliver fast and effective data security solutions. “Organisations in Australia and New Zealand will also be able to access an integrated range of technologies, including artificial intelligence, digital transformation and security skills, to meet their complex needs.”

In addition to Oobe, which has specialist capabilities across government, defence and critical infrastructure, the new unit will also bring together cybersecurity expertise from a number of other local acquisitions, including Canberra-based public sector consultancy MF & Associates, Melbourne-based data and AI firm Versor and cybersecurity specialist InPhySec from across the river.

“Organizations of all sizes increasingly face cyber threats,” said Graeme Beardsell, head of Asia Pacific. “By unifying our company’s regional expertise, Fujitsu offers a unique strategic advantage, enabling our customers to focus on their core businesses while ensuring robust cyber resilience. We will support companies to prepare for and respond to their most pressing data security challenges.”

In his discussion with AFR, Beardsell also noted that scale matters when it comes to serious attacks on large enterprises and government departments. With 300 experts, Fujitsu aims to compete with other multidisciplinary technology consulting giants such as Accenture, as well as segment specialists such as CyberCX, which recently expanded its operations in New Zealand.

All three consultancies, Accenture, Fujitsu and CyberCX, were last week named to the 2024 list of Australia’s leading cybersecurity consultancies.