A new company born out of a recent business acquisition will operate in Mississippi State University’s Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park, the university announced Tuesday.
HORNE LLP, one of the top 50 accounting and business advisory firms in the nation, announced its acquisition of the Halberd Group and the subsequent establishment of HORNE Cyber Solutions, a release states.
The Halberd Group team, which was founded by MSU graduates Kendall Blaylock, Brad Fuller and Wesley McGrew, will transition to HORNE Cyber Solutions, and the company selected the research park’s Ralph E. Powe Innovative Technology building as its home.
There, the team will focus on “information technology services for clients in the areas of cybersecurity, digital forensics, strategic advisory services, enterprise resource planning, regulatory compliance and IT assurance,” a MSU release states.
At least 10 HORNE team members from locations across the Southeast have transitioned to the new company, a company release states.
“Cybersecurity has become one of the biggest risks in business today,” said Executive Partner Joey Havens in a release. “We are committed to providing the expertise and guidance necessary for our clients to be anticipatory in addressing these growing threats to their business, their clients and their reputation. HORNE Cyber Solutions will provide services that include assessments, comprehensive penetration testing, risk mitigation, remediation and monitoring against these costly IT and data breaches.”
David Shaw, MSU’s vice president for research and economic development, said the partnership will be a productive one for the business, university and Starkville.
“As I have said before, there is nothing else like the park anywhere in Mississippi, and it is a tremendous economic development asset for our state,” he said in a release.
“Developing the research park to its fullest potential is a cornerstone of our overall economic development strategy,” added Kath Gelston, MSU’s associate vice president for corporate engagement and economic development. “HORNE Cyber Solutions is an excellent example of the innovative businesses that are helping to transform the state’s economy as we compete in a global, knowledge-driven marketplace. Moving forward, we believe that HORNE – and other technology firms – will benefit from MSU’s extensive cybersecurity research capacity and expertise.”
Both Blaylock and McGrew are nationally renowned for their work in cybersecurity and forensics. Blaylock serves as director of information security, Fuller serves as director of client services and McGrew serves as director of cyber operations.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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