Businesses looking to effectively address today's most pressing technology threats - computer viruses and data theft, lost productivity and corporate espionage - have traditionally had few satisfying opportunities to mitigate their risk. Off-the-shelf software from security vendors like Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) and Trend Micro (OTCBB: TMICF) provide a certain degree of assurance, and on-staff IT personnel allocate at least a portion of their energies to cyber security, but few companies have the means or expertise to implement a dedicated, professionally staffed security program. That's why many businesses today are turning to specialist providers such as Staffing 360 Solutions (OTCQB: STAF) for outsourced IT security support. Staffing 360 Solutions affordably supplements clients' existing security infrastructure with skilled temporary personnel who offer specific, in-depth expertise to overcome today's -and tomorrow's - most pressing electronic challenges.
While the idea of cyber security staffing may sound surprising to those who typically associate temporary workers with more generalized business roles, the outsourcing industry has become an increasingly important part of the global economy by satisfying the need for positions that require highly specific proficiencies. Staffing providers have built successful operations around CFO services, scientific and engineering support, medical personnel and more. In each of these cases, staffing companies distinguish themselves by creating environments that foster professional development well beyond what is typically available within most organizations. That depth of training and experience can be put to work for a full range of client operations, giving businesses of all sizes and types the insight and problem-solving skills of true subject matter experts.
This specialization is part of a broader trend of businesses leveraging cost and capability benefits of an outsourced workforce. The outsourcing industry as a whole added more than 786,000 workers and accounted for 90% of total nonfarm job growth from June to July 2012, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And it does not seem to be slowing down any time soon. The need for a more flexible and virtual labor force was recently confirmed in a poll by the McKinsey Global Institute U. S. Job Survey. Nearly 58% of employers surveyed predicted they will be hiring more temporary, contract and part-time workers through 2016.
It's easy to see why that growth has been so explosive. Businesses which outsource niche positions give themselves access to high performing professionals at a considerably lower cost - there are fewer training expenses, reduced benefits expenses and a faster return on investment. Moreover, they give businesses the flexibility to staff appropriately for changing demand and to address narrow technical challenges that present short term obstacles but do not require long-term personnel commitments.
Specific cyber security benefits include an expert's understanding of proliferating viral threats, detailed knowledge of hardware vulnerabilities, practical strategies to address communications weaknesses and an executable strategy to minimize the human contribution to system breaches - all on a 24/7 timetable.
Staffing 360 Solutions provides all of these advantages and more as part of a genuinely comprehensive suite of outsourced business offerings. That range of capabilities includes executive placement, white collar staffing and veterans' job placement, among others, all available domestically and internationally. This full-service staffing solution is the direct result of the company's own strategy to complement their core competencies with strategic, accretive acquisitions.
In March 2013, Staffing 360 Solutions executed an agreement to purchase The Revolution Group, a promising staffing services corporation focused on cyber terrorism with revenues of approximately $5 million. This comes on the heels of the company's February 2013 announcement of an acquisition agreement with IDC Technologies, a $45 million staffing services business with operations in U.S. and India. As the acquisition nears final closing, The Revolution Group, with its cyber terrorism and cyber security expertise, will comprise the organization's new Cyber 360 Solutions division.
That commitment to stake a leadership position in a still-developing business sector is a large part of the reason why Staffing 360 Solutions and its Cyber 360 Solutions division has generated as much interest from the investment community as from potential clients. While there are a handful of well-known software security resources that dominate the do-it-yourself end of the market - McAfee and Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC) are among the most prominent - the marketplace for businesses offering more robust and personal solutions remains highly fragmented.
Although this vertical sector has not yet fully matured, cyber security is expected to remain an area of great concern for nearly all companies and in all phases of the economy. Importantly, the cyber security interest is projected not only for the U.S. and Europe but also to a notable extent in the emerging BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China. In fact, global spending on security is anticipated to approach $86 billion in 2016, according to world-leading technology and advisory company Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT).
As the industry continues to evolve - Gartner notes that new players are regularly moving into the market - synergies and competitive pressures will reshape the provider landscape. Forward thinking companies like Staffing 360 Solutions - companies that have sound acquisitions and business development strategies in place - will find themselves in an ideal position to capitalize on growing demand, pick from among the best business partners for beneficial mergers and offer clients a compelling combination of talent and teamwork to address a full range of electronic security concerns.
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About Staffing 360 Solutions
Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: STAF) is an emerging public company in the international staffing sector that intends to acquire high-growth domestic and international staffing agencies. As part of its highly targeted consolidation model, Staffing 360 Solutions is pursuing broad spectrum staffing companies in the IT, financial, accounting, healthcare and banking industries. The company believes the staffing industry offers significant opportunity to create a successful public company with a longer term objective of accretive acquisitions in various industries, particularly those with a focus on Cyber Security. For more information, please visit www.staffing360solutions.com.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.
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