August 04, 2015

Accenture Acquires FusionX, Further Bolstering Ability to Help Clients Assess and Respond to Advanced Cyber Threats

NEW YORK; August 4, 2015 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has acquired FusionX, a Washington, DC-based cyber security company that has a fundamentally differentiated approach to cyber attack simulation, threat modeling, cyber investigations and security risk advisory services. The acquisition will further strengthen Accenture’s Security practice and help clients accurately assess their ability to protect against, detect and, where necessary, respond to sophisticated and sustained cyber attacks.

Through the acquisition, FusionX will join and augment Accenture’s growing global Security team. By combining FusionX’s expertise in identifying security vulnerabilities with Accenture’s industrialized suite of security transformation and operations offerings, the acquisition will allow clients to more effectively manage risk and improve business results.

“Even companies that have strong cyber security leadership and make wise investments can still find themselves compromised by advanced cyber threats,” said Michael Salvino, group chief executive, Accenture Operations. “FusionX gives Accenture the critical ability to prepare our clients against the most advanced cyber adversaries. Accenture will continue to expand its advanced threat capabilities to help clients spot cyber security vulnerabilities, defend themselves against the most advanced cyber threats, and to respond to the inevitable breaches that do occur.”

“I’m incredibly proud of the team we have built at FusionX. For the last five years, we have redefined the way our clients defend themselves against advanced cyber threats,” said Matthew Devost, FusionX president and CEO. “By joining Accenture, we will be able to accelerate the expansion of our capabilities, enabling both existing FusionX and Accenture clients to continue to validate and mature their security postures, and draw from Accenture’s substantial security advisory, transformation and operations services. Our team thrives on solving our clients’ toughest security challenges and is looking forward to combining our expertise with Accenture’s security capabilities and experience.”

Founded in 2010 by security industry veterans Devost and Tom Parker, FusionX is staffed by an elite team of highly technical security experts. The company works with Fortune 100 organizations in financial services, critical infrastructure, technology, government, and manufacturing.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 336,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for the company; the company’s results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company’s clients’ businesses and levels of business activity; the company’s business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company’s services and solutions, and a significant reduction in such demand could materially affect the company’s results of operations; if the company is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company’s business, the utilization rate of the company’s professionals and the company’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected; the markets in which the company competes are highly competitive, and the company might not be able to compete effectively; the company could have liability or the company’s reputation could be damaged if the company fails to protect client and/or company data or information systems as obligated by law or contract or if the company’s information systems are breached; the company’s results of operations and ability to grow could be materially negatively affected if the company cannot adapt and expand its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings by new entrants; the company’s results of operations could materially suffer if the company is not able to obtain sufficient pricing to enable it to meet its profitability expectations; if the company does not accurately anticipate the cost, risk and complexity of performing its work or if the third parties upon whom it relies do not meet their commitments, then the company’s contracts could have delivery inefficiencies and be less profitable than expected or unprofitable; the company’s results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; the company’s profitability could suffer if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful, and the company may not be able to improve its profitability through improvements to cost-management to the degree it has done in the past; the company’s business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; the company’s work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; the company might not be successful at identifying, acquiring or integrating businesses or entering into joint ventures; the company’s Global Delivery Network is increasingly concentrated in India and the Philippines, which may expose it to operational risks; changes in the company’s level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in the company’s treatment as an Irish company, could have a material adverse effect on the company’s results of operations and financial condition; as a result of the company’s geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; adverse changes to the company’s relationships with key alliance partners or in the business of its key alliance partners could adversely affect the company’s results of operations; the company’s services or solutions could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company might lose its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others; if the company is unable to protect its intellectual property rights from unauthorized use or infringement by third parties, its business could be adversely affected; the company’s ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; many of the company’s contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company’s revenues and impact its margins; if the company is unable to collect its receivables or unbilled services, the company’s results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected; if the company is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; the company’s share price and results of operations could fluctuate and be difficult to predict; the company’s results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; any changes to the estimates and assumptions that the company makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; the company may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.

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Contact:

Julie Bennink
Accenture
+ 1 312 693 7301
julie.l.bennink@accenture.com