The ‘tech ecosystem is growing,’ says cybersecurity firm moving to Charlotte with 30 jobs

For Jason Hood and his colleagues at Stratascale , relocating the national headquarters from Texas to Charlotte’s bustling uptown made sense for them — after all it’s where most of their clients are.

The cybersecurity firm protects data and assets for its clients, most of which are Fortune 1000 businesses, from computer hackers and digital attacks.

The 5-year-old firm celebrated the move with a grand opening in mid-September at One Independence Center at 101 N. 101 N Tryon St.

But it’s not the only reason why the company is coming here.

“We also saw the growth that’s happening in the area, especially around technology,” Hood, chief operations officer, told The Charlotte Observer. “And we wanted to be a key part of that as we move into the uptown area and take advantage of the other connections in the area.”

One of the company’s top clients is Charlotte-based Truist Insurance Holdings. Other partners include Critical Start, CyberArk, Sumo Logic, Crowdstrike, Proofpoint, Tanium and Dataminr.

What’s inside?

Stratascale’s new 19,000-square-foot office has an executive briefing center for leaders, production studio and another center for operations. Employees work with clients 24-hours a day and seven-days a week to defend against cyberattacks and breaches.

There’s an opportunity for Stratascale to expand with more office space inside the building on the same floor, Hood said.

The company has 25 people working at the headquarters now, but 50 employees will be there by the end of the year. There’s enough office space to have more than 100 employees. Stratascale is planning to hire more staff to fill up the headquarters. About 30 jobs are available in the Charlotte area, according to Hood.

“Charlotte’s tech ecosystem is growing quickly, and we want to be at the center of it,” David Olzak, senior vice president, said in a news release. “When we envisioned our headquarters, we pictured a dynamic and vibrant space where our clients, partners, and team members could connect and cultivate ideas. It’s exciting to see our vision come to life and to have the opportunity to be a driving force for cybersecurity in Charlotte.”

More on Stratascale

Stratascale started in 2020 and is a subsidiary of SHI International Corp, a New Jersey-based company. It previously operated out of SHI’s Austin, Texas office with people working virtually across the country, according to Hood. Stratascale now has 200 employees.

One of the services provided is helping clients understand attacks, risks and how to protect their companies. As an example, Stratascale offers training to organizations, which can be a first line of defense, so employees know not to open suspicious emails through phishing. This occurs when an email looks trustworthy but deception is used to get information or access to online accounts.

“More often we’re seeing increased potential for (cyberattacks) in organizations and we’ve seen a number of those recently pop up in the news,” Hood said. “They’re not necessarily our clients, but we do see overall that continued focus on cybersecurity is important. We recognize that the impact of the business is growing. We recognize the risk is growing as more and more potential attacks happen.”

Along with cybersecurity services, Stratascale also provides business consulting services and digital solutions to help solve technology problems.

The company is partnering with UNC Charlotte’s College of Computing and Informatics. This will play a key role in developing young talent in the area through internships, company leaders said.