SQUAD, a cybersecurity consulting and expertise company, and NEWLODE, an integrator specializing in cybersecurity issues and a Managed Security Service Provider, announce their strategic alliance and pursue their ambition to become, together, a leading player in the European cybersecurity market.
By acquiring NEWLODE's expertise, SQUAD—one of France's top 10 cyber companies with €83 million in revenue and 850 employees—is continuing its development plan launched in December 2020, which aims to make it a European leader in cybersecurity by the end of 2026, with €150 million in revenue generated by 1,200 talented employees. a European leader in cybersecurity by the end of 2026, with €150 million in revenue and 1,200 talented employees.
Alongside SQUAD, NEWLODE—a company founded 12 years ago by Omer Shala and recognized as one of the most prominent companies in the world of cybersecurity integration in France—aims to accelerate its "key account" commercial strategy at the national and international level and to invest significantly in its human development.
To achieve this, it will be able to rely on SQUAD's 11 local agencies (Paris, Lille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Aix-en-Provence, Sophia Antipolis, Toulouse, Nantes, Rennes, Montreal, Geneva).
"NEWLODE is the Group's first external growth operation," comments Marc Brua,
co-founder and Managing Director of SQUAD. "Both our offerings and the skills of our teams are complementary. As a result, this merger is a major asset in the company's development and in the way we position ourselves vis-à-vis our competitors. Starting today, we can support our clients with any cyber issues they may have, across the entire value chain."
With the arrival of NEWLODE in the SQUAD workforce, the Group is now positioned to offer everything from cybersecurity auditing to 24/7 managed services, including strategic consulting, architecture, incident detection and response, penetration testing, application security, DevSecOps, and solution integration.
This merger also makes it possible to offer an extensive catalog of products and services, as NEWLODE now works with the market's leading publishers, including Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Netskope, SentinelOne, Forcepoint, Forescout, F5, and Okta.
Finally, the arrival of NEWLODE will enable the SQUAD Group to strengthen its Microsoft Gold Security partnership by providing it with the capacity to design and integrate Microsoft cybersecurity solutions.
Together, NEWLODE and SQUAD already work for half of the companies listed on the CAC 40 and SBF 120 indices.
"We chose to join SQUAD because, beyond the commercial synergies and technological opportunities, we share the same vision of entrepreneurship and the same human values as Eric Guillerm and Marc Brua. We firmly believe that the capital transaction we are undertaking should not result in a merger of our companies, but rather in the preservation of each company's DNA and the creation of bridges.
So, while we will obviously be part of the same group, NEWLODE will retain its identity, its free will, its technological DNA, its agility, and its operational flexibility, while gaining, thanks to SQUAD, methodology, investment capacity, financial stability, and benefits for its employees ," explains Omer Shala, President and Founder of NEWLODE.
Strategically, this acquisition will also result in the current partners of NEWLODE acquiring a stake in SQUAD. Omer Shala, Founder and President, and Julien Tarnowski, Chief Executive Officer, will also both become members of the SQUAD Group's Executive Committee.
About SQUAD
SQUAD, a consulting firm specializing in cybersecurity, helps organizations protect their information systems against cyber threats. With expertise in six areas—cybersecurity management, cybersecurity architecture, access control, application and operational cybersecurity, and cybersecurity assessment—SQUAD ensures cyber risk control and compliance with regulatory requirements.
SQUAD holds PASSI RGS and LPM security certifications from ANSSI, granting it trusted provider status to conduct audits at Essential Service Organizations (ESOs), Organizations of Vital Importance (OVIs), and in the public sector.
SQUAD's clients include companies in sectors with very demanding cybersecurity requirements, such as defense, banking, energy, tourism, telecommunications, transportation, pharmaceuticals, etc.
Founded in 2011 by Eric Guillerm and Marc Brua, SQUAD is one of the top 10 cybersecurity companies in France and aims to be in the top 3 by 2026, with a target of €150 million in revenue and 1,200 employees.
About NEWLODE
Newlode specializes in cybersecurity issues.
As an integrator and Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), the Group combines complementary skills.
Newlode supports the security of its customers' IT and OT infrastructures, from the consulting phase to the automated multi-vendor management of their architectures.
By building and deploying intelligent environments capable of optimizing their defense against threats, Newlode supports Build and Run projects for large international groups as well as French SMEs and mid-market companies.
Proud of its technical DNA, the Group secures every link in the IT chain thanks to its experts' knowledge of technologies and DevSecOps and SOAR skills.
