Sopra Steria Explained

Sopra Steria Group SA
Type:Société Anonyme
Traded As:
CAC Mid 60 Component
Industry:Information technology consulting and services
Revenue: €4.682 billion (2021)
Operating Income: €379.2 million (2021)
Net Income: €187.7 million (2021)
Assets: €2.873 billion (2021)
Equity: €1.695 billion (2021)
Num Employees:58,000 (14 June 2024)[1]
Location:Paris, France

Sopra Steria is a European-based consulting, digital services, and software development company with 50,000 consultants. The company is headquartered in Paris and has operations in several countries in Western Europe.

Sopra Steria has a new consulting wing under the "Next" brand. It employs 3,400 consultants across Europe, including 1,900 in the group's native France. After adding the shares held directly in registered form by current and former Group employees, these proportions amount to nearly 10% of the share capital and 13% of voting rights, thereby making employees the Group's second-largest shareholder.

History

Sopra was created in 1968, followed closely by the 1969 founding of Steria. SODERI (Information Research and Development Company) holds 51%, the BNP Group holds 29.5% and the Indochina Group holds 19.5%.

By 1971, Sopra signed its first large global banking managed services agreement, which led to the first banking platform the following year. Steria computerized Agence France-Presse in 1973 by creating a text processing system that enables real-time information transmission. After acquiring Sitintel in 1974, the group developed Minitel and eventually received its first major national project with the French Ministry of the Interior in 1986.

Steria's automation project for the RER A in Paris made it valuable enough to be registered on the Second Market of the Paris stock exchange (now the NYSE Euronext Paris) by 1990. Sopra set up its subsidiary, Axway Software, in 2001, through which the company expanded into the Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) market.

In 2014, Sopra and Steria officially merged[2] into the Sopra Steria Group in August. On 31 December 2014, the legal merger of the two groups was completed. After the merger, Sopra Steria acquired CX-partners in 2019 and Fidor Solutions in 2020.

Sopra

Sopra was seated in Annecy, France. The company had a revenue of €1.349 billion (2013) and 16,290 (Dec. 2013) employees. It was founded in January 1968 by Pierre Pasquier, François Odin and Léo Gantelet.[3] [4] In March 2014, Sopra Group was renamed Sopra. In April 2014, Sopra announced a merger with Steria in an attempt to become the European leader in computer services.[5] Sopra is a consulting, IT services, and software development company. Its subsidiary Sopra Banking Software develops and distributes software for the financial services market.

It runs three complementary business lines: consulting management and technology, systems integration, and software publishing in the following field in human resources and real estate management.[6]

Acquisitions

Sopra's main acquisitions are:

Axway Software

In 2001, Sopra used its subsidiary Axway to access the EAI market.[23] The following year, Axway acquired Viewlocity Inc.[24] [25] From 2006 to 2008, it acquired Cyclone Commerce, Inc.,[26] [27] Atos Origin,[28] and Tumbleweed Communications Corp.[29]

Axway Software split from Sopra in June 2011 after its stock market launch.[30]

Steria

Groupe Steria SCA was a multinational information technology services company founded in 1969, based in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.[31] It focused on public services, finance, telecommunications, utilities and transport, and provided consulting services for its clients' core business processes.

Steria was created by Jean Carteron in 1969. Francois Enaud took over as chairman and CEO in 1998[32] and Steria listed itself on the Paris Stock Exchange the next year. In 2000, Steria acquired three service and telecom companies in France and became one of the top five French service providers. In 2001, Steria started the Foundation Steria,[33] a community support group. In July 2007, Steria acquired the United Kingdom-based IT outsourcing and technology company Xansa for £472 million in cash.[34] [35]

Steria had sites in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Luxembourg, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.[36]

In May 2018, the UK's Minister of State for Immigration, Caroline Nokes, announced significant changes to the visa application submission process. In her statement, she announced the government would be outsourcing the immigration application process to Sopra Steria Group by October 2018.,[37] [38]

Controversies

In the UK, the National Audit Office found that NHS SBS first recognized in January 2014 that patients might have come to harm as a result of what was, at the time, a growing backlog of undelivered paperwork. Although staff raised concerns, the company did not alert the department or NHS England until March 2016. The NAO concluded that the company had been "obstructive and unhelpful" with regard to the subsequent inquiry launched by NHS England.[39] In 2017, a UK Commons public accounts committee was informed that at least 12,000 missing papers – possibly including patient records and cancer tests – had not been processed by the company.[40] [41] [42]

In 2019, several members of the British Parliament, concerned about "grave problems" in Sopra Steria's £91 million contract to manage post-Brexit biometric services for immigrants, wrote to the National Audit Office to request an urgent investigation into the quality of service, responding to allegations that the company was charging "extortionate" rates to the vulnerable.[43] [44] [45]

Ransomware attack

On 20 October 2020, the company suffered a Ryuk ransomware attack.[46] Using a new variant of Ryuk, the cybercriminals unsuccessfully tried to encrypt the company's data, making it inaccessible unless a ransom is paid. Ryuk has been described as "one of the most dangerous ransomware groups that operate through phishing campaigns".

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About us | Sopra Steria.
  2. Web site: Sopra Group Story - Profile, CEO, Founder, History Technology Companies SuccessStory . 2023-05-03 . successstory.com.
  3. http://www.objetdirect.com/datas/pdf/presse/groupesolutionsetservices218viseoacquierthomsys020610.pdf Histoire – Les deux derniers grands capitaines de l’industrie des services informatiques encore à la barre de leur entreprise
  4. http://www.latribune.fr/journal/archives/edition-du-2303/business-techno/167459/pierre-pasquier-dernier-pionnier-.html Pierre Pasquier, dernier pionnier
  5. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-07/france-s-sopra-said-to-plan-merger-with-steria-to-take-on-ibm.html Sopra announces merger with Steria
  6. http://www.sopragroup.com/content_data/sopragrp/forms/en/16870/SOPRA2011_DRF_EN.pdf Annual financial report – Additional information on page 6
  7. Web site: Rapprochements conseil et SSII : quand l'amont et l'aval ne font qu'un . 19 April 2013 . 18 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140318121549/http://www.01net.com/editorial/125854/rapprochements-conseil-et-ssii-quand-lamont-et-laval-ne-font-quun/ . dead .
  8. Web site: Sopra fait ses emplettes en Italie et en Grande-Bretagne . 19 April 2013 . 18 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140318133657/http://www.01net.com/editorial/156092/sopra-group-fait-ses-emplettes-en-italie-et-en-grande-bretagne/ . dead .
  9. Web site: Valoris se décide pour Sopra . 19 April 2013 . 18 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140318133654/http://www.01net.com/editorial/241949/valoris-se-decide-pour-sopra/ . dead .
  10. http://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-sopra-acquiert-newell-et-budge-et-etablit-ses-quartiers-au-royaume-uni-9947.html Sopra settles in the UK by acquiring Newell & Budge
  11. http://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-sopra-se-renforce-dans-le-secteur-bancaire-avec-le-rachat-de-cibf-24570.html Sopra se renforce dans le secteur bancaire avec le rachat de CIBF
  12. http://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-sopra-s-offre-l-editeur-de-logiciels-financiers-delta-informatique-34633.html Sopra s'offre l'éditeur de logiciels financiers Delta Informatique
  13. http://trends.levif.be/economie/actualite/banque-et-finance/callata-wouters-rachete-par-le-francais-sopra/article-4000045540430.htm Callataÿ & Wouters racheté par le français Sopra
  14. http://www.cw-thaler.com/content/news-room/press-releases/PR-CW-SG-FR Callataÿ & Wouters signe un accord avec le groupe Sopra et formera ainsi un acteur européen majeur
  15. http://bourse.lefigaro.fr/indices-actions/actu-conseils/sopra-group-deux-acquisitions-au-royaume-uni-161510 Sopra annonce la finalisation de deux acquisitions au Royaume-Uni
  16. http://www.soprabanking.com/page.php?lang_code=FR&menu_mnemo=HISTORY Historique de Sopra Banking Software
  17. http://www.channelnews.fr/actu-societes/57-editeurs-independant-isv/15318-sopra-group-finalise-lacquisition-de-hr-access.html ChannelNews – Sopra Group finalises the acquisition of HR Access
  18. http://www.bfmtv.com/economie/sopra-finalise-l-and-8217-acquisition-cor-and-amp-fja-banking-solutions-gmbh-714430.html Sopra finalise l’acquisition de COR&FJA Banking Solutions GmbH
  19. Web site: Airbus and Sopra Steria Finalise Their Agreement on the Acquisition of CIMPA. FinanzNachrichten.de.
  20. News: SOPRA STERIA AND ORDINA AGREE ON RECOMMENDED ALL-CASH PUBLIC OFFER FOR ALL ORDINA SHARES . 21 March 2023 . Sopra Steria.
  21. Web site: Sopra Steria kjøper it-selskap av DOF Group . 15 June 2023 .
  22. Web site: Shared Services Connected Ltd to become wholly owned by Sopra Steria . Sopra Steria . 17 April 2024.
  23. Web site: 01net. L'EAI prend le chemin de l'indépendance. 2021-04-23. 01net. 7 June 2001 . fr.
  24. http://www.europolitics.info/sopra-acquires-stake-in-american-group-viewlocity-artr191824-9.html Europolitics – SOPRA ACQUIRES STAKE IN AMERICAN GROUP VIEWLOCITY
  25. Web site: Information-Age – Viewlocity backs out of EAI . 24 April 2013 . 4 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090822/http://www.information-age.com/industry/uk-industry/302521/viewlocity-backs-out-of-eai . dead .
  26. https://archive.today/20130628205105/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=27295 Bloomberg Business Week – Cyclone Commerce, Inc. was acquired by Axway Software S.A.
  27. http://www.4-traders.com/SOPRA-GROUP-4707/news/Sopra-Group-Axway-Introduces-Synchrony-and-Finalizes-Merger-with-Cyclone-New-Collaborative-Busine-216841/ 4-Traders – Sopra Group: Axway Finalizes Merger with Cyclone
  28. https://archive.today/20130629082618/http://www.gartner.com/id=585207 GARTNER – Axway and Atos Origin Unite to Offer B2B Integration Services
  29. https://www.reuters.com/article/sopra-idUKL06858820080606 Reuters – IT group Sopra in friendly $138 bid for Tumbleweed
  30. Web site: Euronext – Axway IPO, NYSE Euronext Paris . 24 April 2013 . 18 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140318173850/https://www.euronext.com/news/ipos/detail/details.jsp?docid=998852&lan=FR&cha=2051&yearIPO=2011 . dead .
  31. Web site: Steria – Who are we? . 27 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150113160452/http://www.steria.com/index.php?page=about-steria . 13 January 2015 . dead .
  32. ,Web site: Steria – François Enaud – Chairman and CEO . 27 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150113145633/http://www.steria.com/index.php?page=francois-enaud . 13 January 2015 . dead .
  33. http://www.fondationsteria.org/anglais/eindex.html Home Page
  34. News: Xansa surges after rival's £472m bid. 9 September 2012. The Telegraph. 31 July 2007.
  35. News: France's Steria to buy UK IT group Xansa. 9 September 2012. Reuters. 30 July 2007. 13 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150113155015/http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/07/30/idUSL3029340220070730. live.
  36. Web site: Steria – Locations . 27 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150113160450/http://www.steria.com/index.php?page=locations . 13 January 2015 . dead .
  37. Web site: It's a Visa Application Service – but not as we know it.
  38. Web site: Sopra Steria has been awarded a new UKVI contract.
  39. Web site: NHS data loss scandal deepens with further 162,000 files missing. The Guardian. 16 October 2017.
  40. Web site: NHS accused of covering up huge data loss that put thousands at risk. The Guardian. 27 February 2017.
  41. Web site: Hundreds of patients potentially harmed by undelivered NHS mail. The Guardian. 26 June 2017.
  42. Web site: Watchdog slaps NHS for failure to tackle correspondence backlog. The Register.
  43. Web site: Law Society and ILPA back MPS' call for an urgent investigation into the Home Office's partnership with Sopra Steria | Electronic Immigration Network.
  44. Web site: Home Office urged to 'get a grip' of its responsibilities after chief inspector admits it is outsourcing 'on the cheap'. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/home-office-immigration-chief-inspector-borders-hostile-environment-a9006706.html . 24 May 2022 . subscription . live. The Independent. 18 July 2019.
  45. Web site: UK Home Office hands Sopra Steria £91m digital visa contract.
  46. Web site: Sopra Steria falls victim to Ryuk Ransomware. 23 October 2020. SecureReading. 4 December 2020.

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