Sister city Belfast can be a big hit with Nashville's cyber security sector

Guest blog by Aine Mallaghan with Invest Northern Ireland  

Belfast, Northern Ireland has been a Sister City of Nashville since the early 1990’s. The Belfast-Nashville relationship has grown to include music and  culture exchanges and business opportunities for companies in both cities. To learn more about the Nashville-Belfast Sister City relationship click here.

As Belfast gets set to host the Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival, it is not just a love of country music that the sister cities have in common. They also both claim emerging cyber security clusters with growing reputations on the global stage. While the CMA Songwriters have written 32 chart toppers, it is less known that Belfast is a smash hit with U.S. cyber security companies.

Indeed, Northern Ireland is number one global destination for U.S. cyber security development projects.

What is springing from the bricks and slipways of the old Harland and Wolff shipyard, in the shadow of the iconic yellow gantry cranes known as Samson and Goliath where Titanic herself was launched, is the epicenter of a living, breathing technology cluster earning Belfast the accolade of “Cyber Security Capital of Europe”. Cyber security will be to Northern Ireland what the linen, rope making and shipbuilding industries were to our thriving region a century ago.

Belfast’s burgeoning role in cyber security was born over a decade ago when Queen’s University created the UK’s Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) in the docklands area with a mission to help companies commercialize emerging cyber security technologies. Now home to an impressive hub of security verification and authentication technology businesses, CSIT is a place where top-level academic researchers and starts ups regularly collaborate with some the largest U.S. firms in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland’s investment in CSIT and in developing a robust cyber security talent pool has already reaped significant dividends. An ultra-competitive recruitment market has driven U.S. tech companies to look overseas for talent, and the hard-to-find skillsets being nurtured at Queen’s and Ulster University has enticed them to Belfast.

U.S. cyber companies such as Rapid 7, Proofpoint, Alert Logic, Whitehat and Black Duck (which was acquired by Californian company Synopsys at the end of last year in a half billion dollar cash deal) are some of our recent investors. Talent was the key reason for their location decision with Gary Steele, CEO, Proofpoint Inc explaining that the technology ecosystem in Northern Ireland, ‘shares many of the characteristics of Silicon Valley’ including access to world-class research at Queen’s University.

While there is no doubt that separation from the European Union will pose challenges for Northern Ireland and the UK, the reality of a global economy is such that certain needs transcend political paradigm shifts. Investment in the region has continued post referendum vote – and will continue to do so. The need for people with the right skills to support the rapidly growing cyber security industry is a big reason why the region has proven resilient.

For many, including U.S. cyber security companies, market access is not a significant factor in the decision making process. Northern Ireland has built its value proposition on providing specialized talent, cost competitiveness and quality of life. Northern Ireland office rents, quality housing and salaries are considerably lower than London or Dublin.

Investment in the region has continued post referendum vote – and will continue to do so. The need for people with the right skills to support the rapidly growing cyber security industry is a big reason why the region has proven resilient.

Northern Ireland has built its value proposition on providing specialized talent, cost competitiveness and quality of life. Northern Ireland office rents, quality housing and salaries are considerably lower than London or Dublin.

The need for quality cyber security tech skills will continue to increase with security software vendor Symantec predicting a shortfall of 1.5 million cyber security jobs globally by 2019. Northern Ireland is well placed to play a critical role in providing the industry much of the talent needed to perform these critical duties - and hopefully, in the coming months and years some Nashville-based cyber firms will be singing from the same song sheet as their U.S. counterparts already writing their tech-hits from Belfast.

Travel to Belfast with Sister Cities of Nashville

Sister Cities of Nashville invites you to Belfast to attend the Lord Mayor’s Festival (April 28) to help celebrate “Authentic Nashville” in Belfast – with special food, music and history throughout the week. Kristian Bush of the Grammy-award winning Sugarland duo will headline a show at Belfast's iconic and historic Ulster Hall. Monell’s will be serving up a VIP dinner prior to the show, hosting a Gospel Brunch, and food tastings at St. George Market and Victoria Square. Sector meetings with professionals in higher education, healthcare, cybersecurity & blockchain technology and renewable energies are offered for delegates. Discounted hotel rates at Ten Square Hotel. Current estimate for airfare and lodging is $1,700.

Consider joining the delegation for this unique travel experience. Sister Cities of Nashville looks forward to building on the foundations laid in recent years of both in-bound and out-bound delegation visits around healthcare, technology, legal profession, higher education, music and the food & beverage industries.

If you are interested to learn more or if you plan to join the delegation, please email Tracy Kane at tracydkane@gmail.com.