Atos continues cyber M&A campaign with Motiv ICT Security deal

Atos has continued its investments in the cybersecurity space with the acquisition of Motiv ICT Security, one of the larger independent managed security services (MSS) providers in the Netherlands.

The deal comes within months after Atos purchased digital.security, which added around 250 cybersecurity consultants in France and the Benelux, and SEC Consult, which added a team of over 200 cybersecurity consultants in the DACH region and Lithuania, Luxembourg and Russia. 

According to Pierre Barnabé, Senior Executive Vice President at Atos and Head of its Big Data & Cybersecurity practice, the Motiv ICT Security bolt-on “complements the previous deals” and “strengthens our local ambition in becoming the key trusted cybersecurity partner for global organisations on their digital journeys.”

The Netherlands is one of Atos’ larger divisions in Europe, and the addition of Motiv ICT Security adds 180+ cybersecurity experts to its ranks. The managed security services business, founded in 1998 and headquartered in IJsselstein, specialises in threat detection and response and has a state-of-the-art Security Operation Center. 

“Motiv’s track record in growth, local expertise and reputation in the market will strengthen Atos’ teams in Northern Europe giving a fantastic opportunity to grow the digital security business.” said Barnabé.

Meanwhile, for Motiv ICT Security, the move provides it with a large domestic customer base [100 large and mid-tier customers in the public sector, law enforcement, financial services and healthcare sectors], and access to a global footprint – Atos boasts 110,000 employees in 70+ countries.

“By joining forces with Atos, we accelerate on our mission to support the secure digital transformation of our customers, unlocking the full potential of Atos’ global cyber security service and capabilities to our customers,” said Aksel Dorèl, CEO of Motiv. “We are excited with this important next step for Motiv, our employees and our customers.” 

According to Gartner, Atos is the world’s third largest managed security services provider in the cyber landscape.