KILKENNY, Ireland - Security Risk Advisors (SRA), the Pennsylvania-based cyber security consulting company,is establishing a European Headquarters and Security Operations Centre in Kilkenny.

In a company announcement made on Wednesday, SRA said the the new office will mean the creation of 52 jobs over the next five years.

Initial hires will focus on support for SRA's cyber SOC services.

This is SRA's first international office outside of the United States, designed to enable the company to provide a 24-hour a day, 365 days a year service to monitor clients' systems for attacks. In addition, their new European HQ, the company says, will allow SRA to better serve their current European customers as well as target new customers.

"We are proud to establish an office in Kilkenny. The proximity to top colleges and industry leading companies, in addition to the quality of life in the South East region made the decision to open our first international office in Kilkenny an easy one," Tim Wainwright, Managing Director of SRA said Wednesday.

John Paul Phelan, Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government said: "I am pleased that SRA has chosen Kilkenny as the location for their first international office and EMEA Headquarters. The decision to locate their office here is testament to Kilkenny's highly skilled workforce, as well as its strong network of nearby educational institutions like Waterford IT and Carlow IT, which provide companies like SRA with the talent they need to succeed and grow. This announcement is a great boost for the City."

Mary Buckley, Executive Director of IDA Ireland commented:

"It's great news that SRA are developing a European Headquarters and Security Operations Centre in Kilkenny. With over 50 new jobs being created, this investment, the company's first in Europe, will have a strong regional impact in Kilkenny and the wider South East Region. It will also act as a valuable reference site for winning further investment to the Region."