TrendCalifornia IT security company adds 225 jobs in Ann Arbor expansion

Ann Arbor, Michigan, is not Silicon Valley, but we notice that more and more IT security companies make Ann Arbor their home — or, at least, make it home to some of their divisions. The latest is San Jose-based NetEnrich, which offers remote IT infrastructure management services. The company has just announced that it will add 225 jobs in its Ann Arbor facility.

Ann Arbor Business Review’s Nathan Bomey writes that the company is expected to be approved for a 10-year, $3.9 million tax credit from Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s Michigan Economic Growth Authority Board.

“NetEnrich joins a growing list of network security companies in the Ann Arbor area,” writes Bomey, “including Arbor Networks and Barracuda Networks, both of which announced expansions this year with plans to add a total of about 300 jobs.”

Raju Chekuri, CEO of NetEnrich, told Bomey that his 170-person company also considered locating its expansion in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Columbia, South Carolina; and Sacramento, California — but that the talented pool of IT workers in the Ann Arbor region was the key factor in the decision. “The No. 1 criteria for us was the people, the talent, the expertise,” Chekuri said. “We looked around for quite some time and we found Ann Arbor to be a good place.”

NetEnrich’s “virtual private management gateway” technology allows the company to help corporate clients reduce IT costs by 30 percent to 50 percent, Chekuri said.

Half a dozen IT companies have already announced expansions in the Ann Arbor region this year, and their plans for Ann Arbor include the addition of nearly 1,200 jobs in the coming years. Network security is emerging as a leading sub-sector for the IT industry in Ann Arbor.