June 28, 2018, FREDERICTON (GNB) — Difenda, a cybersecurity company, will open a cyber command centre in Fredericton and create up to five new jobs with support from the provincial government.
“Your government has been making smart, strategic investments to establish New Brunswick as a leader in high-growth sectors like cybersecurity,” said deputy premier Stephen Horsman. “Having an innovative and industry-leading company like Difenda expand in Fredericton is just another sign that our multi-year economic growth plan is working.”
Difenda’s decision to locate in New Brunswick serves to highlight the strength of the province’s cybersecurity sector, said Horsman. The industry is identified as an area for strategic investment in the New Brunswick Economic Growth Plan.
“All the great work being done in creating New Brunswick’s cybersecurity ecosystem made this an easy choice for us,” said company founder and CEO Manoj Arora. “Difenda was established by former military intelligence professionals with real-world cyber warfare experience. Our team has the skills, talent, expertise, cutting-edge technology, and advanced capabilities to defend organizations from cyber threats. Fredericton is the perfect place for the next stage of Difenda’s growth.”
To support the company’s expansion, Difenda is eligible for an investment of $120,000 from Opportunities NB, which is a Crown corporation that seeks to attract and support opportunities to grow the economy and create jobs. It provides support services for businesses across the province.
The investment comes in the form of payroll support, which provides quarterly salary assistance to businesses within the first year of a new round of hiring. This form of investment helps create small quantities of jobs in the early stages of a company’s growth.
It is estimated that creating up to five jobs would contribute $1.9 million to the province’s GDP over three years and generate $153,000 in provincial taxes over that same period.
The new positions will include cyber-threat hunters, a malware analyst, an incident response analyst and a forensic analyst. Difenda is a global cybersecurity company with decades of experience helping companies manage their online security risks.