A business analytics software company is opening a research and development (R&D) centre in Scotland to tackle fraud and financial crimes.
The SAS R&D centre in Glasgow joins other SAS centres including the R&D division based in the United States.
The site in the Cuprum building, Argyle Street, includes adding 94 analytics specialists to its 126 staff and builds on the Scottish Development International (SDI) grant of £1.29m announced in 2013. It also follows the opening in late 2013 of a SAS London office with a focus on financial services and a hub for the 600-strong SAS staff in the UK.
The firm points to increasing global demand for big data analytics. The use across industries, such as public security, financial services, retail, telecommunications and manufacturing, is to support better decision making as well as preventing fraud and mitigating risk.
Mikael Hagstrom, SAS executive vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (AP), says: “SAS is proud to be building on its existing operations in Scotland. We initially established a global research and development team to create business applications to help modernise law enforcement, improve public safety and enhance national security. The initial investments allowed SAS to see the real Scottish potential with easy access to Europe, the excellent pool of talent from universities and its strong culture of innovation.
“Using this experience, we will fortify our efforts in thwarting financial crime and fraud through this new facility and also focus SAS global R&D centres on advancing the development of big data analytics as the engine of the information economies across the world. The UK has the opportunity to take a lead in the global efforts to deliver real financial benefit from big data – considered a 21st century raw material and referred to by analysts as “new oil”. To do this we also need to ensure that government, academia and businesses work together to further develop the skills available and actively support programmes that nurture development in the next generation.”
The firm adds that it has for the past 15 years been providing 80 universities across the country with access to its products. The total investment across the period amounts to around £90m and enables SAS skills to be developed by around 2,500 students each year. The firm has developed SAS Curriculum Pathways, as an online resource for secondary school teachers and students, and the SAS Student Academy, which gives educational institutions the ability to train students in big data skills.
Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond said: “SAS is a prestigious global company and it’s fantastic to see the decision to expand extensively in Scotland come to fruition. The new facility will position Scotland as an international centre of excellence for developing solutions to tackle fraud and security and will create a substantial number of highly-skilled, high-value jobs – a significant feather in Scotland’s cap.
“Scotland offers international companies a well-educated and trained workforce, competitive infrastructure and supportive government agencies, and this investment by SAS is a terrific example of how that international reputation pays off.”
And Anne MacColl, chief executive, Scottish Development International, said: “Data Analytics is an area of significant growth potential and one in which Scotland is well placed to take a leading role as part of the global opportunity that big data represents. Scottish Development International is delighted to be able to support SAS in the creation of its R&D centre and we are committed to helping the company realise its growth strategies in Scotland.”
