London cybersecurity consultancy CNS Group purchased by Six Degrees
Global cloud managed service provider Six Degrees has completed the scoop of London-based cybersecurity firm CNS Group, for an undisclosed fee. The deal will see Six Degrees bolster its cybersecurity offering, leveraging CNS’ 50 employees and its cybersecurity operations centre, among other resources it has subsequently acquired.
Founded in London in 1999, as Convergent Network Solutions, the company now known as CNS Group was initially formed to address the needs of public sector and financial organisations to secure their networks. While the firm has always been engaged in some form of technological security, however, as with consulting lines in multiple other sectors, digitalisation has transformed the demands now placed upon the company by clients. Following a number of high-profile hacks hitting large companies in recent years, cybersecurity is now at the forefront of many companies’ agendas.
As a result of buoyant demand in this respect, CNS Group has seen a number of developments in recent years, which will have made the firm increasingly attractive to buyers. In 2015 CNS moved its Security Operations Centre to the secure facility in Camberley and became an accredited PSN Services provider, before winning Best Managed Security Service at the SC Magazine awards in 2016. Building on this success, further spikes in demand saw the group build a new Enhanced Combined Security Operations Centre in Hampshire, while the firm now boasting a headcount of some 50 professionals, and annual revenues of roughly £7 million.
This understandably drew the attentions of the Six Degrees Group, an international cloud managed service provider delivering enterprise business and digital transformation, workplace productivity and compliance solutions to customers. Six Degrees, which is also headquartered in London, snapped up CNS with a view to bolstering its cybersecurity offering, in a move which will see all of CNS’ staff relocated to Six Degrees’ frontline. The deal, which concluded for an undisclosed fee, will also see Six Degrees look ramp up its security portfolio, providing government-accredited managed security services through CNS Group's dedicated cybersecurity operations centre.
David Howson, Six Degrees CEO, commented on the deal, "The increasingly complex cybersecurity threat landscape is a major challenge for businesses, which struggle to align IT resources against the risks they face. Existing clients want to place more of their IT estate with us, and security is a vital part of the picture. CNS Group's loyal client base, serviced by a strong management team and talented staff, provides the perfect fit to enable Six Degrees to offer a broader set of cybersecurity services."
Stating that she expects the integration will be “smooth and successful”, Shannon Simpson, CEO of CNS Group, added, "Joining Six Degrees represents the next step in our strategic plan to increase our market share and further enhance our flagship cybersecurity services… With our shared focus on UK data sovereignty and protecting businesses, this is a great move. Working with Six Degrees will enable us to bring our highly accredited security offerings to all the services they offer, and we will give clients additional peace of mind and assurance that their data assets are safe."
