EMC, Lockheed to open Israeli tech center

Write a Comment

By Rick Saia

Hopkinton-based EMC and aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology firm Lockheed Martin will open a cybersecurity center in Israel in which the two firms will engage in technology projects in the southern part of the country.

The center will be located in a technology park in Be’er-Sheva, and the projects will take place with the help of Israeli companies, government agencies and academic institutions in the region to explore and promote collaborative research and development projects in cloud computing, data analytics and related cybertechnologies, according to a statement from EMC.

Report: Center a $1M investment

EMC did not report a value on the deal, but according to Reuters, EMC and Lockheed Martin are investing $1 million.

Orna Berry, vice president and general manager of EMC’s Israel Center of Excellence, said, “Israel’s entrepreneurial and academic communities offer a unique combination of talent, innovation and pioneering spirit. We expect this collaboration with Lockheed Martin will help EMC continue to rapidly accelerate our important research and development and contribution to the success of Israel’s mission to be a leader in innovation on the global stage.”

EMC has a wide presence in Israel, employing 1,000 in the country, and has invested billions of dollars there through the acquisitions of nine Israeli companies. In 2012, it bought XtremeIO, a Flash storage company based in the Middle East nation. That deal was reportedly worth $420 million. EMC also operates a “center of excellence” in Israel.

EMC said it expects to expand its activities in the Be’er-Sheva area “considerably.”