IT was a global crisis in a different era that set Rob Scott on his path into the world of tech.
From pulling on the Manchester United jersey as a 16 year-old during the George Best era, to a high octane stint in the world of Formula 1 and Le Mans, the volatility of fuel supply in the 1970s put the brakes on his promising racing career and sent him into a new direction with IBM.
He went Stateside with Motorola 38 years ago, and he’s been there ever since.
Now the boss of Boston-based cyber-security firm Cygilant, the Manchester native has spent the past two months quietly and remotely establishing a new European base for the company in Belfast, amid an unprecedented coronavirus lockdown.
Around two dozen people have already been recruited for the security operations centre (SOC) in Belfast’s Centrepoint building, with plans to expand the workforce to 65.
Speaking from his lake house home in Maine, Rob Scott is adapting once again in a volatile world.
The Manchester accent is still strong almost four decades on. Perhaps because he never really let go of his roots and the club he played reserves for as a teenager.
“I’m still a shareholder in Man Utd and still a season ticket holder.”
He recalled it was different shade of red that eventually drew him away from football.
“I got the opportunity to join Ferrari as a test driver, so I did that for five years. I went all over the world for 11 months of the year with Ferrari, and then I went from there to Porsche and did a two-year stint for Le Mans with Derek Bell and Jacky Ickx.”
He recalled it was a European-wide fuel crisis that eventually led him down another path.
“I found I was out of a job, because nobody was racing. That’s when I joined IBM as a salesman and got into a tech career.
“I’ve done eight start-ups, four of them I founded and four I’ve turned around. The last two have been in cyber-security.”
He sold his last company, Bradford Networks, to California security giant Fortinet in 2018.
The Manchester native, who now lives between Maine and Massachusetts, has his eyes on Belfast for the next project.
Last year Rob Scott was named the new president and chief executive of cyber-security firm Cygilant and quickly set sights on expanding the Boston-based company into the European market.
Ushered by Invest NI, in February Cygilant moved into the Centrepoint building next to the BBC on Ormeau Avenue.
The company, which employs 80 people globally, is the latest in a string of US firms drawn to Belfast, citing the local talent pool and conveyor belt of university graduates.
But far from reaching saturation point, the chief executive said the presence of competitors in the city was a major draw.
“There are between 18 and 20 cyber-security companies, so it’s becoming a major hub for that technology. It’s because there’s already a pool of people and on top of that, there are the universities, which have great cyber-security programmes.”
Cygilant provides cyber-security-as-a-service to mid-sized organisations.
Financial services, education and healthcare are the its primary focus.
The company is now looking across Europe for new customers.
“It’s because SMEs can’t afford to have that expertise inside their company. So what we offer is a cyber-security as a service to mid-sized organisations,” said Mr Scott.
Just a month after Cygilant set up its new European SOC in Belfast, Covid-19 restrictions came into force. Like most tech firms, Cygilant sent its staff home.
The chief executive said around 15 people had already been recruited at that point. Another ten have joined since, with their only contract with their new workmates coming through video conferencing.
But Mr Scott sounds at ease with the situation.
“It has been a bit of a Godsend in some respects. Our products and people lend themselves to working anywhere in the world.
“Our cyber-security advisers are based at home. Some of them have never been to the office. They came on board in the past month, and have only met people via video conferencing.
“We’re training people online, but a lot of them already have the expertise.
“We’ve got 25 now and we’ll go to 30 by the end of next month.”
While he believes the future will feature a mix of home and office working, he’s looking forward to a time when the new staff can finally meet face to face.
He’s also keen to visit Belfast himself in the not too distant future.
“It’s going to be a long time before we get back in an office in my opinion. That doesn’t affect running the business, which is great.
“I’m normally on a plane 95 per cent of the time, literally. Now I’m having to do 10 to 12 video calls a day - it makes me much more efficient.
“But when these restrictions are lifted, the first place I’m going to visit is Belfast.”
