Orange trumpeted the planned acquisition of Netherlands-based cybersecurity specialist SecureLink for $576 million as it seeks to further shore up its presence in the security services market.

This latest purchase comes only months after the France-based operator snapped up SecureData for an undisclosed amount, and forms part of a bigger push to boost its Orange Cyberdefense (OCD) unit. The transaction is expected to close in the second or third quarter of 2019.

While SecureData expanded the reach of Orange’s global security offerings from France and Belgium to South Africa and the U.K., SecureLink has a presence in a number of markets including Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the U.K.

Hugues Foulon, executive director of cybersecurity at Orange, now claims that the group “has the highest scale to anticipate and fend off attacks, as well as local defense teams in all the main European markets, positioning the combined organization as the go-to defense specialist.”

According to Orange, SecureLink provides a full range of cybersecurity services such as specialized security consulting, security maintenance and support with 24/7 service desks, as well as advanced managed detection and response capabilities. It also resells security software and hardware products. SecureLink reported revenue of $277 million in 2018, serves more than 2,100 customers, and employs 660 people in 14 offices.

Orange said the acquisition will enable it to become “one of the European leaders of cybersecurity” with about 1,800 employees, more than $672 million in pro forma revenue in 2018 “and strong positions in major local markets.” Orange Cyberdefense in France reported revenue of $340 million in 2018.

The two purchases in 2019 could also help to improve Orange’s profile compared to rivals that are also operating in the managed security services market. In its Managed Security Services Provider Profiles EMEA 2018-19, consultancy Ovum rated Orange Cyberdefense as a “market challenger” along with Atos, BT, DXC Technology, NTT Security, and Telefónica. IBM, Secureworks, and Verizon were classed as market leaders.

Ovum also noted that Orange Cyberdefense was formerly part of Orange Business Services, but since May 2018 it has been held in a separate entity called Cyber Security and Strategy, which brings together Orange's internal security teams and the commercial Cyberdefense business. The consultancy firm added that security is considered a major growth area for the Orange Group, and the operator intends to develop the OCD brand “as a pure-play cybersecurity provider beyond the realms of network security.”

According to the Ovum report, OCD operates four advanced CyberSOCs: two in France, one in India, and one in Poland. It also has shared SOCs that operate 24x7x365 in Europe (two in France, one in Belgium, and one in Poland), and one in each of the following countries: Egypt, India (covering Asia-Pacific and the Americas), Malaysia, Mauritius, and the U.S. (Atlanta).