site.btaInnovation Minister Lorer Attends Opening of Atos' New Global Security Operations Center in Sofia

Innovation and Growth Minister Daniel Lorer attended the opening in Sofia of a new global next-gen Security Operations Center (SOC) of the French company Atos, his Ministry said on Tuesday.

More than 50 cybersecurity specialists will be hired at the company's new SOC by the end of 2022, and the number of employees is expected to increase to 300 in the next few years.

"We witnessed many cybersecurity breaches in recent years. Some of them were amusing, while others were dangerous. In the context of the current war situation in Europe, cybersecurity should be of paramount importance to each country," Lorer said at the opening ceremony.

Atos is a French multinational information technology service and consulting company. In Bulgaria, it has over 1,500 employees who provide services to corporate clients in more than 40 countries. The new centre is Atos' 16th next-gen SOC worldwide.

The event was also attended by French Ambassador to Bulgaria Florence Robine, Stephane Delahaye, Chairman of the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFB), representatives of Atos and other businesses.

Ambassador Robine said that Atos represents the French companies which will make Bulgaria a large innovation hub. The global SOC will serve both science and business, and will help advancing collective security, the French Ambassador stated.

The opening of this centre shows that French companies are available to operate in Bulgaria for the benefit of the country, bilateral relations and Europe's future, the diplomat added.